Enduring Images, Tattered Albums
by Jhiz
Summary: Life is a series of connected saved memories and brought out from time to time like a picture album. Some bring pleasure; some bring pain. First love is often an image to treasure and protect. Buffy is not so lucky. Being the Slayer has never been easy for the teen, but she learns that there are some pictures that are forever imprinted in the album of her life.
1. suffer patiently

**ENDURE**

transitive verb

1\. to undergo (as a hardship) especially without giving in; suffer patiently; "it seemed impossible that anyone could endure such pain"

* * *

"Well that was just bloody brilliant," Spike snarled at Angelus as the older vampire limped into the alleyway and joined them in their flight from the burning factory that had been the two younger vampires' home for months. Giles had done a wonderful job of destroying their refuge. The trio would require a new one before the sun rose and the injured demon in his wheelchair was in no position to find it. Spike's frustration at being at the mercy of his failing body as well as the newest, slightly insane rendition of Angelus was more than he could stand. He barely contained the urge to scream.

"Shut up, Wheelchair Willie," Angel ordered as he wiped blood from his chin with the back of his hand. He flinched slightly as his fingertips then skated over the damage on his right cheek. Angelus could have cared less about the destruction of the factory. He was obsessed with crushing the Slayer and his recent gag gift in her Watcher's bed had been a piece of sadistic and artistic genius. The campaign to destroy her mind was in full swing and details like a lack of lair took a back seat to his obsession.

Drusilla immediately abandoned her position behind William's chair and rushed towards her injured Sire. She fussed over Angelus' split lip and bruised cheek that he had gotten in the altercation between first the distraught Watcher and then the furious Slayer. It was a toss up as to who had actually inflicted which injuries. They weren't particularly painful wounds but Dru didn't seem to make the distinction. She cursed the horrid creatures that dared to damage her precious daddy.

"Hmm, think I finally touched a nerve," Angelus crowed with a proud smirk as he patted Dru on the tip of her nose and smiled at her attentions. Drusilla cooed happily at his attention.

"Ya think?" Spike replied with a roll of his eyes. "Personally, I think you're gonna brass the Slayer off just enough that she shoves her stake up your arse to get to your heart."

"Not that you wouldn't deserve it," he added under his breath.

Unfortunately, his comment did not go unnoticed. Drusilla whirled towards him. Her hand flashed out and connected with his cheek.

"Bad Doggy," she accused in a sharp tone. She stomped her foot and glared at her still injured companion. "Daddy wouldn't have been hurt if you allowed me to play."

Dru's eyes narrowed. The fleeting insight that perhaps Spike had hoped the Watcher would kill Angelus flitted through her mind. The lucid observation flitted away though and left only an overwhelming rage in its wake.

"The Watcher would have made such pretty bubbles and cries for me if you had allowed me to help."

Drusilla's hand flew once more. This time, her fist struck the side of Spike's head so hard that it toppled the wheelchair to the ground. The blond vampire tumbled onto the gravel strewn asphalt of the back alley. Because of the speed and power of the Dru's strike, he wasn't able to catch himself with his arms and avoid smacking his head in the fall. The side of his face that had only recently begun to heal from his burns ripped open once more as he scrapped against the hard ground. His snagged duster and his useless legs trapped him in the wreckage of his overturned seat.

While Angelus laughed hysterically at Spike's struggle to extract himself from the capsized chair, Drusilla added another injury to her insult. She kicked the chair off the downed vampire. The wheelchair wretched free from Spike and the snap of his leg which had been trapped by one of the foot plates and front riggings accompanied the clatter of crunching and screeching metal.

William snarled as sharp pain flared in his now broken leg. He had been regaining limited feeling in his lower body over the past couple of days but the agony of the snapped bone was more than enough to shock even his muted nerves. Anger warred with the agony for dominance and Spike was the ultimate loser of the battle.

Spike's distress only fed Angelus' amusement. The older vampire wrapped his arms around Drusilla and pulled her back against his body. He glared at his sputtering grandchilde on the ground from over her shoulder.

"Bad doggies have to be put down," Angelus murmured seductively into Drusilla's ear. He added a little lick on her earlobe as an additional taunt to Spike. The older vamp had always taken a perverse pleasure in harassing the younger one. His overdone affections for Drusilla made William an easy mark and Angelus was never one to forgo some spiteful fun at someone else's expense. He reveled in cause other pain; it filled him with joy.

Dru's mercurial mood shifted from her spiteful rage. For a moment, she appeared confused. She stepped away from Angelus with a frown on her lips and her hands clasped against her chest. She turned and glanced between the two males.

"Will-Eee-Ummm is my knight and I am his princess," she pouted for a moment as her eyes shifted towards her injured lover who was struggling to sit up with only the use of his arms.

Angelus' left hand snapped out and caught her chin in his grasp. He lifted her face until she was looking only at him.

"You are Daddy's Princess, Dru. Don't forget it," he firmly ordered as he released his hold. The sadistic older vampire was not about to concede ownership of his very special girl to anyone else. He wasn't about to share even with the demon who had taken care of her for the past century while he was wallowing in soulful guilt.

Drusilla nodded obediently. Even after all this time, the lessons he had taught her about obedience were still clear in her often cloudy mind.

"DRU!" Spike called in frustration.

Drusilla snapped her head towards him. She was once again lost for a moment and unable to decide what she was supposed to do. She loved Spike but she loved her Daddy too. Unhampered by any sense of loyalty or fair play, Angelus pressed his advantage.

"Come on Precious," he wheedled. "Remember, Willie was a bad doggy and bad doggies get punished."

Drusilla glanced back at Spike then returned her attention to Angelus. The older vampire reached out and took her left hand in his and raised it to his damaged cheek. His dark eyes flooded with betrayal and pain well beyond what the injury merited but Dru didn't understand the subtle manipulation.

"Daddy got hurt because Will-EE-Ummm wouldn't let you save me," he lied smoothly as he shifted Dru's hand until he could gently take her fingertip into his mouth. His tongue played over the pad as he seductively sucked on her digit. Dru moaned and her lids lowered. She swayed slightly until Angelus pulled her body against him with his free arm. All thoughts of Spike washed from her mind and she wallowed in sensation.

The duo ignored Spike's indignant cussing. They ground against each other until Drusilla was purring and panting with excitement. When Spike finally pulled himself up enough to reach towards Drusilla, he grabbed wildly for her long coat. He softly begged for her help as his fingers brushed along her closest leg.

Angel withdrew his attentions when he noticed the fallen vampire's attempt to gain aid from his Childe. He stepped back and waited. Drusilla did not disappoint him. Her eyes flew open as her passion morphed back into rage. She had been thoroughly enjoying her Daddy's attentions. She did not appreciate the interruption.

"BAD DOG!" she screamed as she lashed out at Spike's hand with her foot.

The fallen vampire pulled his arm back to avoid the blow. This only infuriated the vampire further. She wanted to cause him pain and would not allow him to escape it. Losing all control, Dru began screaming and kicking maniacally at Spike. Repeated blows from her leather clad feet connected with his already damaged body, legs, arms and shoulders.

Raising his arms in a protective cover for his head, Spike babbled an endless stream of pleadings for her to stop. His litany abruptly ended when Drusilla succeeded in landing a particularly vicious kick against his jaw. The impact dazed the beaten vampire and he collapsed completely onto the ground. As his consciousness wavered, William heard Angelus cooing proudly at Drusilla as he began to pull the insane vampire down the alley. He muttered one last pleading call for help that was answered with only harsh laughter from Angelus and insane giggles from Dru. Darkness enveloped him as his heart tore when he realized his lover was abandoning him. She had clearly chosen Angelus over him yet again.

* * *

Pain. It was the first thing that clawed into Spike's awareness. His head, his torso, his left arm and both hands throbbed with a sharpness that would have stolen his breath if he had needed one. As he lay on the cool, hard asphalt of the alley, William attempted to pull his focus from the overwhelming ache to what had awoken him. An annoying poke nudged at the side of his chest under his arm. It was the unexpected movement that had originally pulled him back to consciousness.

"Wonder what happened to this one," croaked a scratchy voice damaged by years of smoking.

The nudging repeated and Spike realized that someone was prodding him with their foot.

"Who cares?" another voice answered from further down the alley. "Just snag his stuff and let's go. I can hear a trash truck and we need to clear out before they see us with the body."

Spike heard more than felt the hands shifting through his clothes in search of valuables. Whoever was shifting through his pockets was an old hand at it. The thief's hand caught hold of the vampire's lighter at the same moment Spike opened his eyes. His right arm snapped up and grabbed the startled street person by his neck. With a sharp yank, the man fell against the vamp's chest. He screeched as Spike's fangs ripped into his neck. The old man's hands beat uselessly against the demon's chest, but his motions soon stilled as the injured vampire guzzled from the gaping wound.

Spike barely noticed the footsteps retreating down the alleyway as the second homeless man abandoned his companion. He shook his head and worried at the wound in hopes of pulling just a bit more sustenance from the dead man. He could taste the sickness and poor nutrition that was a common hallmark of street people blood. It didn't lessen his purpose. The blood was foul but he desperately needed it.

Shoving away the drained corpse, William cussed. The sky carried the indigo glow of approaching dawn and dawn would spell his doom. He rolled onto his stomach and started dragging himself with his uninjured arm towards his wheelchair. Six feet and seven cuss words later, Spike managed to reach the toppled chair only to realize that the frame was damaged and one of the wheels was bent. The thing was useless to him.

Rolling onto his back, Spike stared at the lightening sky. He cursed at Angelus and then at Drusilla for leaving him to dust. For a moment, tears swam in his eyes and he considered just closing his eyes and letting the sun have him. The despondency only lasted for a moment until it shifted to rage. He quickly looked for his best chance of reaching safety from the sun. The surrounding industrial buildings were all brick and block with high windows that he could never reach from the ground. Neither seemed to have any doors or loading docks into the alley. There was a dumpster at one end of the alley but that wasn't an option since it was already illuminated by a soft patch of daylight from the sunrise. He cussed once more and rolled over. He pulled out his demonic form and set his nails into the ground. Dragging his useless legs behind him, Spike clawed his way down the alley towards a drainage grate.

He sighed in relief when he found that the storm grate had direct access to the city drainage system. It took Spike three tries before he was able to pull free the heavy metal plate and shift it out of the way. With his skin tingling from the burn of indirect sunlight, the vampire pulled himself into the darkened hole. He fell the five feet to the ground and landed roughly on the rounded bottom of the runoff water tunnel. He moan in agony as the fall sent his injuries back to stabbing pain instead of just a dull throbbing.

Through sheer will, he dragged himself further down the mostly dry tunnel until he was beyond the threat of sunlight from the storm drain he used as an entrance. Once he was sure he was safe, Spike flipped onto his back. He flung his uninjured arm over his face and screamed in frustration. The eerie sound echoed through the long, dark tunnel. As the sound finally died, the vampire wasn't sure if the physical pain from the beating or if the emotional pain from being abandoned was more excruciating. His body shook for a time as the effort and despair finally caught up with him. Alone, injured and heart-broken, William closed his eyes and slept.

* * *

The telephone startled Giles. It wasn't common for anyone to call his office during school hours. It wasn't like the Sunnydale High School library was a hot spot for student life. Discounting the Scoobies, few students found their way to the quiet space and even fewer had reason to call it. Leaving the small cart of books that he had been returning to their shelves, the Watcher hurried to his office. He mumbled a somewhat official sounding greeting into the receiver and waited for a reply.

"Hey Giles," Buffy answered in a tone the librarian recognized as a cross between nervousness and annoyance.

"Ah, are you just getting home from the hospital?" Rupert replied as he took a seat and shifted some of the papers around on his cluttered desk.

"Not yet," the Slayer answered hesitantly.

Giles frowned. After she killed Der Kindestod last night, the Watcher figured his Slayer would have been more than ready to leave the hospital. She had been quite adamant about leaving even before she was healthy enough to do so.

"I thought your mother planned to pick you up this morning," he stated as he glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost two in the afternoon. No matter how inefficient the hospital administration may be, even they should have released his Slayer by this point.

"Yeah, I thought so too," she confirmed in an obviously worried tone. "Mom hasn't shown up though. I tried to reach her at home but only got the machine and no one is answering at the gallery either."

A prickle of anxiety bloomed in Giles stomach to match Buffy's concern.

"How can I help?"

"The hospital won't allow me to leave unless I am signed out by my guardian. Think you could be my dad long enough to spring me from medical prison so I can find my mom?"

Giles nodded then realized Buffy couldn't see his agreement.

"Of course. I will leave as soon as I contact the school office and inform them that I have an emergency."

Rupert glanced at his watch and conveyed that he would be there in about twenty five minutes.

Seventeen minutes later, Giles briskly walked into Buffy's hospital room. A call to the nursing station, four illegally signed forms with Hank Summers scribbled on the bottom, and a wheelchair ride later saw the pair climbing into the Watcher's outdated vehicle. In a little more than ten more minutes, the pair were parked in front of Buffy's home. Joyce's SUV was not in the driveway, but Buffy hurried into the house anyway. She scurried through the empty home calling for her mother. Once she determined that her parent was no where to be found, she returned to Giles' vehicle. She shook her head. Her Watcher offered her an encouraging smile and decided to take her to the gallery.

"I'm sure that your mother just got caught in something at work and lost track of time," he offered.

Buffy hummed in acknowledgment if not agreement. A firmer edge of panic started to eat at her gut and she nervously pulled a stake from her pocket. She tapped it against her knee until Giles pulled onto Maple Street. The teen pointed down the street towards the front of her mom's art store. She slipped her stake up her shirt sleeve so it was hidden from public sight.

"There's her car."

Giles pulled into an open spot a few cars behind the SUV but Buffy was out of the vehicle before he turned off the ignition. She practically flew towards the gallery entrance. The teen paused when she noticed the sign on the window still read closed but the door to the gallery stood gaping open about a foot.

"Mom?" Buffy called as she hesitantly pushed the door fully open. Despite the sun shining on her back, a chill ran down her body. With a simple flick of her wrist, her stake slipped properly into her hand and she stepped carefully into the quiet store front. She called for her parent again. Only silence answered her.

Buffy moved further into the gallery's main room with her eyes focused on the back corner where the service desk and the entrances to Joyce's office and the back storeroom were found. None of the overhead lights were lit although the spot lighting for the art offered enough illumination to allow for easy movement through the displays. At her back, Buffy could hear Giles entering the room. The little warning bell tinkled as he closed the door behind him.

"MOM!" the blonde teen screeched as the disquiet pounding in her chest made it difficult to properly breath. The call was harsh and desperate in its sounding; fear was obvious at its heart.

Buffy moved around a large metal sculpture of twisted and warped triangles welded into an asymmetrical mass. Since no one answered her call, the teen's eyes scanned the remainder of the gallery showroom. She froze as her vision caught on the display in the recessed alcove to the left of the customer service area.

Some images, once seen, can never be unseen or forgotten.

Buffy's stake clattered to the ground and she stood silently as a wave of horror swept away all conscious thought. Ethereal fear coalesced into reality.

"Buffy?" Giles questioned as he stepped beside her. His eyes followed her unwavering stare. "Oh, God," he whispered in revulsion.

On the wall of the alcove, an oversized rendition of a full figured woman hung in the specially designed spotlight angled to draw attention to the Rubenesque oil painting. The attractive, full bodied subject reclined on a rich red fainting couch. The brunette beauty had been captured in a gauzy gown and was surrounded by a collection of chubby, naked cherubs. In the center of the woman's chest, a bone handled dagger had been stabbed into the painted canvas. The knife was sunk deep enough into the drywall behind the painting that it held the weapon perfectly in place between the subjects partially bared breasts.

The damage to the expensive art was nothing compared to the horror directly below the framed painting though. One of the spotlights had been moved to highlight the assembled tableau that recreated the hanging image. One of the gallery's patron benches had been moved directly below the painting. It was angled in position and draped with a rich velvet curtain so it appeared like a replica of the fainting couch. A collection of undressed, porcelain dolls with tiny blindfolds and gags were expertly placed to act as the cherubs. Centered on the mock couch lay Joyce Summers. Her body was wrapped in a filmy bit of lingerie that Buffy knew was not part of her mother's wardrobe. Her lifeless eyes stared sightlessly at the overhead spotlight.

A hitching sob escaped from Buffy's lips as her hand reached towards the bone handled dagger sunk deeply in Joyce's chest.

"No," Giles ordered sharply as he reached out and stopped the teen from touching the weapon or the corpse. The Watcher attempted to draw his distraught Slayer away from the macabre scene but found himself unable to move the far stronger girl. After repeated attempts to pull her from the horrible display, Giles finally just told her not to touch anything while he called the police. Although they both knew who was responsible for the grisly murder, the authorities had to be notified. They might not be able to do anything about the monster that killed Joyce and Jenny but they could properly handle the details.

"Angelus will die," Giles whispered softly into Buffy's ear before he tried one more time to convince her to turn away from her mother's body. She remained immovable. It wouldn't matter if she turned away now. The horror was permanently seared behind her eyes. Yet another chunk of her soul cracked and peeled and shivered to dust. The image could not be unseen. The death could not be undone. Her mother was dead and Buffy could do nothing but stand and stare.

* * *

"So what's happening with the Buffster?" Xander questioned as he plopped into a seat at the library reference table. "Is she doing okay? When is she coming back to school?"

Giles glanced up from the pile of legal documents that had just been delivered to him by one of the Council's lawyers. The librarian had played chaperone for the grieving teen yesterday and had orchestrated the excused absence for Willow today so that she could stay with Buffy instead of them coming to school.

"She is... well, she is doing about as well as one could expect her to be given her mother died. Her aunts should arrive tonight and will be staying with her for a few days. Until the funeral at least."

Xander sighed. He really wished he knew how to help but he felt clueless. He also felt uncomfortably sad. He could only imagine how badly Buffy was feeling. Harris had really liked Mrs. Summers and would miss her. She had always been so much more friendly than his or Willow's mothers. It had to make the loss so much worse for his friend. She lost a true parent who loved her. The teen shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned back in the chair.

"Is Buffy going to be sent to live with her Dad in LA?"

Giles pulled off his glasses and set them on the pile of papers he was reading. He shook his head.

"No," he answered as he tapped the top document. "Surprisingly given his hand off style of partial custody, Hank Summers has refused to waive parental rights. On the other hand, he has given the Council supervision privileges. Well, actually, not the Council. Me. He gave me supervisory privileges. That is quite the thing. Never done before. Mr. Summers only agreed because Buffy had talked about me when visiting and talking with her father previously. He refused the Council's offer of intervention. He only wanted mine."

Xander sat forward and looked at the papers filled with unfathomable legal gobbledygook. He frowned and asked if Mr. Summers knew about Buffy being the Slayer now.

Giles shook his head and explained that the Council lawyers had approached Buffy's father in hopes of him signing over guardianship to them. The reasons behind the request was never actually explained truthfully to the families of the marked girls. They always couched the terms in reference to educational, social and economic opportunities. It was how most Slayers and Potentials were handled. Normally, the girls would be identified early and their guardianship assumed by the Council. Only in rare cases were the potentials missed. If the missed girl grew up with her family, the Watcher's organization had found it was difficult to coax the control away from the parents. If the undiscovered potential happened to be called as the Slayer, then she didn't normally last long enough for them to bother with the legalities. Without the training and support of the Council, Slayers tended to have even quicker expiration dates than normal.

Buffy's ongoing survival was a testament to her resourcefulness as a Slayer. She defied the odds. Giles only hoped that her mother's death would not break her beyond recovery. The heart-heavy Watcher feared that his young charge would not weather the upcoming changes with her usual aplomb. Not only must she deal with her mother being gone, but she would also have to adjust to totally new living arrangements. In the next week or so, she would be forced to move out of the house on Revello Drive. The Council was already looking into securing a new apartment or a small townhouse for the Watcher and Slayer. Adjustments in lifestyle and priorities would not be easy for the teen.

In a moment of mental clarity, Giles admitted that the changes would be a struggle for him as well. He worried that he would not be the support Buffy needed at this time. He lacked the skills to be a parent. Books and research were his strengths. He was even a fair hand at weapons and tactics. Wading through the emotional waters of a teen-aged girl was not part of his training and Giles doubted his charge would be easy on him. The British man could only pray that they survived the adjustment period.

* * *

"You ready to go, Pumpkin?" Hank Summers asked as he wrapped his arm around his daughter's shoulder. Most of the folks who attended the graveside funeral for Joyce Summers had already left the cemetery to return to the Summers home and her remaining parent was hoping to coax his obviously distressed child somewhere more comfortable. Joyce's sisters had planned a light meal and get together at Revello Drive in order for the mourners to seek comfort in each others company and honor Joyce's memory.

Leaning slightly into her father's shoulder, Buffy shook her head but didn't mutter any reply. She wasn't ready to leave yet. Her father squeezed her in a one armed hug before stepping back and leaving her to her thoughts.

"Take your time, Sweetie. There is no rush."

Buffy mumbled a quiet thanks before falling silent once again. Silence had been her companion for days. As she stood beside the open pit where the funeral home employees had lowered her mother's casket, she wrapped the quiet peace around her like a security blanket. She desperately clung to the silence. The teen didn't want to speak. Unlike all the others at the funeral, she didn't want to discuss her feelings or share stories about her mother. Buffy just wanted to hide inside her cushion of tranquility and pretend that her world hadn't tilted off its axis and spiraled into hell.

She had no desire to return to the home that she once shared with her mother. She didn't want her Aunt Lolly to fret over her lack of appetite and horrible sleep pattern. She didn't want to listen to her Aunt Arlene reminisce about what a wonderful little sister Joyce had been. The teen really didn't want to endure the nauseatingly overdone attention and physical affection that Hank's half-his-age girlfriend kept forcing on her. She didn't want to face the reality of her mom's murder. Buffy just wanted to stand by her mother's grave and misplace herself for just a little while longer. She wanted to lose herself somewhere even she couldn't find.

Buffy wanted to escape. Her thoughts and memories were painful. She raged against Angelus but ultimately knew the truth. She was at fault. The guilt she carried was like an unwieldy weight crushing her chest. The teen hid from the hurt and hoped for relief. She just didn't know how to get away from herself.


	2. Tolerate

**ENDURE**

transitive verb

2\. to regard with acceptance; tolerate; "could not endure noisy children"

* * *

Giles entered his new townhouse from the two car garage incorporated into the first floor of the home. He tossed his keys onto the table that was the only furniture in the ground floor office and utility space. The rest of the room was filled with boxes that had yet to be unpacked. Off to the side, the laundry room was likewise cluttered with unpacked items. A few of the stored things were from his previous apartment but the majority had come from the Summers house. They were filled with all the trappings that an art collector and a single mother as well as a teenager could acquire in the year they had lived in Sunnydale.

The Watcher trudged up the stairs to the main living space. The open living room appeared a lot more finished and inviting. The dining table and chairs that had been in the Summers home were tucked in the corner by the entrance to the sizable and nicely outfitted kitchen. Two of Joyce's living room chairs sat at right angles from Giles' couch. The television, stereo and VCR were new. Buffy's father had taken one look at the shelves filled with books in the living room and insisted that teenagers needed live media access. Hank had wanted Buffy to be comfortable and content in her new home and he knew her well enough to recognize that books were not her favorite entertainment source. He had purchased the equipment and stand before leaving to return home two days ago.

"Buffy?" Rupert called up the steps when he found his charge was not on the main floor.

The teen slowly and silently padded down the carpeted steps. She stopped on the bottom stair and leaned against the wall. Her arms crossed over her stomach in a protective manner. A twinge pricked in Rupert's chest. His Slayer seemed so very lost and he wasn't sure how to find that special bit that made her Buffy again. She had always seemed so full of life and he didn't know how to help her regain her spark.

Giles offered her an uncomfortable smile. He really wasn't sure how he was supposed to be acting around the teen. At school, he had a defined role. He was a librarian. As a Watcher, his duties were clear. Unfortunately, he didn't understand how to approach being a pseudo-father. In fact, he wasn't even sure he should be approaching the situation in that manner at all. He considered that perhaps he should try to just hold his Watcher role at home too. He was comfortable being a Watcher.

"Have you eaten anything today?" he casually asked as he moved into the kitchen and noticed that nothing was out of place. There were no dirty dishes in the sink nor any food on the counters.

Buffy shook her head in the negative while Giles moved to fill his tea kettle.

"You need to eat. You are going to make yourself ill," the Watcher cautioned. It was already plain to see that Buffy had lost weight in the short time since Angelus murdered her mother. If she lost much more weight, it would start to be truly unhealthy.

The blonde teenager shrugged then moved listlessly through the kitchen. She looked in cupboards and the refrigerator but did not find anything remotely appetizing. The same thing happened every time she contemplated eating. It wasn't that the foods in the house were not teen friendly. Giles had taken Xander along with him to the grocery store and so he knew that the place was filled to the brim with things Buffy normally liked. The grieving girl just had no desire to eat. She plopped onto one of the three stools at the island and propped her chin on her hand.

"How was school today?"

Giles stopped puttering around the space. He sat the container of loose tea and his infuser on the counter.

"There was actually a bit of unpleasant excitement this afternoon after classes. A student shot and killed his girlfriend before committing suicide in the music room."

Buffy didn't comment but she did nod. It was a tragedy but she was too tired and wrapped up in her own pain to get worked up over it. She just watched as Giles retrieved some apple juice from the refrigerator, filled a glass and placed it in front of her. He followed the unspoken direction to drink with two pieces of toast with peanut butter for her to eat. The teen absently nibbled at the food while she asked if the victims had been anyone she knew. Rupert reported that they were underclassmen while he fixed himself a cup of tea.

"What a waste," she muttered between sips of juice.

"Quite right."

The pair fell silent while they completed their snacks and contemplated the new tragedy. Buffy ate one of the pieces of toast and finished her juice. It was the most she had eaten in two days. When she stood to take care of her dishes, Giles informed her that Ms. Beakman had asked about her and was wondering when she planned to return to school.

"There is no rush," he stressed because the Brit did not want the teen to think she had to rush back to school after her family tragedy. "You take the time you need to grieve. I have taken care of everything with the administration. Just remember that there are a number of people concerned about you and willing to help if you need it."

"I think maybe next week? On Monday? Maybe Willow can help me get caught up over the weekend and I can be all face-y the school day then?"

Giles nodded encouragingly.

"And patrol?"

Buffy paused for a moment.

"I was considering, ya now, maybe going out tonight. Start slow. Hit a cemetery or two. Nothing too involved."

"Would you like me to accompany you?" Giles inquired. The Watcher was quite concerned that Buffy's grief would affect her attention and slaying abilities. He cared about her too much to allow her to be hurt by returning to her duties before she was properly prepared. If she wanted his help or just his company, he was willing to provide the support.

The Slayer shook her head.

"Perhaps you could take Xander with you? He has been subjecting me every day to his presence in the library. You have my utmost respect. How you and Willow handle all his... err... enthusiasm is beyond me."

A tiny smile skittered across Buffy's lips as she thought about poor Giles being subjected to prolonged exposure to Xander. She decided enthusiasm must be stiff British speech for loud and annoying. Although she felt a bit badly for leaving her Watcher at the mercy of her friend, she wasn't ready for company yet.

"Maybe tomorrow? I just kinda want some quiet time making dust. Like therapy only with dead people."

Concern clouded Giles countenance but he nodded in understanding.

"In fact, I think I'm gonna get ready to go patrol now."

Giles verbally validated her decision although he glanced over his shoulder to the window after Buffy had left the room. It was still light outside so patrol would not really be productive for at least another hour. As he poured himself another cup of tea, the Watcher hoped that his Slayer didn't stay out too long after dark. She was clearly still mentally wrapped up in the tragic murder of her mother. She lacked focus. He firmly believed she wasn't ready to face Angelus at this point and a short patrol would cut down on the chances of a possibly deadly encounter.

Ten minutes later, Buffy slipped out the front door. Her footfalls were silent as she moved down the steps from the front door of the townhouse. She paused at the foot of the cement steps and glanced up at her new home. For her, it didn't feel like a home. She missed her house on Revello Drive. Not near as much as she missed her mother, but she missed it all the same. It was the little things about the new place that bothered her. She didn't know the spots in the floor that creaked. She didn't like the amount of light in her new bedroom. The balcony off her room looked over the back of the house but there was no tree to use as an escape. The only view was the back of the next set of town-homes across the alley. It was so impersonal and lacking in life. Buffy even disliked all the steps. It was annoying to have to constantly go up and down to get everywhere.

The only positives she could find in the townhouse were the closet space and her bathroom. Giles had taken one look at all her clothes and shoes and relinquished the master bedroom on the top floor with its walk in closet and well appointed private bathroom. Her Watcher had opted to take one of the two bedrooms on the the third floor. They chose to set up Joyce's bed in the unused bedroom in case they ever needed a guest room. It was a practical decision that only bothered Buffy if she looked in the bedroom. She made a point of closing the door the few times she noticed it open.

Buffy sighed before turning from her new home and purposefully striding down the sidewalk between the manicured postage stamp landscaping fit into the spaces between all the stairs to the other townhouse units. The sun was just touching the horizon and it painted the world in the purplish glow that signal twilight. It would have been beautiful if Buffy had been inclined to notice. As to be expected, she wasn't in the mood. Instead, she pulled her stake from its hiding place at her waist. It was a tangible reminder of her place in the world even though she felt so lost. Absently she twirled the weapon in her hand as she turned down Market Street and headed towards Peaceful Acres. The Slayer snorted. The cemetery was not appropriately names. There was nothing peaceful about it. Because it was one of the newer graveyards in town, it tended to spit out vamps at least once a week.

After an uncommonly quick tour of the cemetery, Buffy headed towards another street at a quick trot. She glanced nervously over her shoulder as she left the residential area and passed into a more run down industrial district. Derelict buildings, fenced lots, and storage facilities littered the blocks in this section of town. With one last look at the dimly lit street, the Slayer slipped down into a darkened alley. Her Watcher would not approve of her current plans. She tightened her grip on her stake. Buffy knew that she shouldn't be here. She wasn't mentally or physically ready for a real battle with anything beyond the routine but she needed to be doing something. The guilt was gnawing at her soul. If she didn't act soon, she feared that she would be just as soulless as Angelus. Vengeance and hatred would be all that remained in her heart.

Buffy wanted to make Angelus pay. She would make him regret ever touching her mother. In order to achieve that all consuming goal, she needed information. That was her purpose this evening.

The Slayer took a calming breath and pushed open the door to Willy's Bar. A quick scan of the room showed that it was early enough in the evening for there to be few patrons in attendance. A pair of human females were squished into a booth across from an over-sized green skinned demon that reminded Buffy a bit of the Jolly Green Giant's little brother but with better fashion sense. Only one demon sat at the bar. It was a skinny thing about the size of a six year old with spindly arms and unclothed gray skin. When it noticed the Slayer, it dropped off the bar stool and ran for the back exit. She lacked the energy and interest in following him.

"Uh, yeah... hi Slayer," the bartender called in a falsely happy and overly loud voice. He glanced nervously over his shoulder towards the door to his office. He noticeably flinched when Buffy approached the bar and hopped up onto the stool that had just been vacated. With a grimace, the teen pushed aside the half filled glass of glowing green sludge that smelled like a cross between cut grass and tequila.

"Um... can I get you something?" Willie's hands skittered over the bar like a frightened piano player. He looked towards his office door yet again. Buffy followed the path of his eyes. Her nose crinkled slightly as she frowned. In the next heartbeat, her concern waned under the weight of her original purpose.

"All things considered, Willie," the Slayer replied with a sharp gleam settling in her eyes. She knew there was something or someone in Willie's office that had the shifty snitch worried. Her left hand snapped forward and grabbed the bartender by his shirt. She yanked him up and across the bar so that his face was close to her own. His feet waved in the air and his hands scrambled across the bar top in a fruitless attempt to escape the Slayer's hold. When he was closer, Buffy could see the remains of a healing bruise on the edge of his jaw. It seems someone had already been abusing Willie this week.

"I just don't know. Can you get me what I want?"

Willie swallowed. Staccato taps sharply bounced off the bar as Buffy tapped her stake on its top and waited for his reply.

"Uh... yeah... I don't know nothing about anything, Slayer," he stammered before adding in his exaggerated, loud voice that he was sorry to hear about her mother.

Buffy shook the creepy little snitch and practically growled at him in response to his ill timed condolences. She was surprised though when Willie lowered his voice to a barely audible whisper and pulled himself a bit closer to her.

"I might not know anything about Angelus, but, um, I have had an un-welcomed guest in my office for like two weeks," Willie admitted softly before gesturing with his head towards the open door at the end of the bar. He was desperate to get rid of the demon that had helped himself to his private office as well as helped himself to his liquor and blood. Willie knew there was no way he could get rid of the intruder by himself but the Slayer was more than capable of it. At least, he hoped she was.

Buffy's eyes narrowed as she released the sneaky snitch. She might have been out of practice with the exhorting information from him but she could easily read that Willie was freely offering that she should take a look in his office. If he had been any more obvious, he would have needed a billboard sign.

The Slayer took two steps down the bar towards the private room. Relief flashed across Willie's face when he understood that she had understood his message.

"So you don't know anything about Angelus?" Buffy demanded loudly as she moved closer to the door. Her hand shifted the grip on her stake. She found comfort and strength in the momentary focus on the smooth wood.

"Nope, definitely no," the weasel promised as he followed the Slayer's progress from the service side of his bar.

"Well, if you don't know anything, then I bet you won't mind if I look around," the Slayer stated firmly. She didn't wait for Willie's token protest. She just stomped through the doorway. She was surprised at the mess. Although she never expected the sneaky weasel to be a neat freak, Buffy found the room to be beyond trashed. Stale cigarette odor warred for dominance with rancid alcohol stench. Trash covered most of the floor. Furniture was toppled. A broken lamp lay smashed against the wall. Someone or something had flipped the metal desk and then broken the back off the office chair. The specific someone responsible for all the destruction rested on the ratty sofa that occupied one wall of the small space. A collection of mostly empty bottles and empty bags of blood surrounded the couch.

"SPIKE!" Buffy hissed as she froze in momentary shock. She hadn't been expecting someone quite so related to her quarry to be found so easily. Her stupor turned to fury in a heartbeat. Before the drunken demon even realized who was in the room, the Slayer had a hold of him. She dragged him off the couch and shook him violently. Even though he had been steadily regaining the strength in his legs with the daily blood supply Willie was providing, the vampire was so inebriated that he was unable to get his feet under him. He just slumped in Buffy's grip and relied on her power to keep him vertical.

"Where is Angelus?" she demanded. She gagged slightly from the stench rolling off the completely sloshed vampire.

Spike snickered and his head lolled to the side.

"Bumping uglies with Dru most likely," he replied as he tried unsuccessfully to lift his arm so he could drink from the almost empty bottle of vodka Willie had provided Spike in hopes of remaining alive for another few hours.

"WHERE?" the Slayer bit out harshly as she shook the vampire hard enough that he dropped the bottle. It landed against another one and shattered on the floor. Her captive loudly protested its loss.

Disgusted, Buffy shoved the incoherent vampire back at the couch. He collapsed onto the cushion with no acknowledgement of the change. He listed to the side as his right arm flopped along the floor in search of an unfinished bottle of booze. Spike was so drunk he didn't even realize that the shaking specter of death stood before him. He was only moments away from a dusty end but all he wanted was to hold onto his blissful state of oblivion.

Buffy practiced breathing for a couple seconds as she attempted to release the red curtain of rage that threatened to obliterate all ability to reason. Family knew where to find family. She was sure that Spike would be able to tell her where to find Angelus. She just needed to convince him to share. Her lips pressed together as images of the painful ways she could make him squeal rushed through her mind.

"How long has he been here?" Buffy demanded as she glanced towards Willie who was standing in the doorway and shifting his weight between his two feet.

"Uh, little over two weeks," Willie admitted.

"The entire time?"

Willie nodded.

An unexpected tension released a bit in Buffy's stomach. If Spike had been here all that time then he hadn't been involved in the murder at the gallery. That little tidbit most likely would save the drunken vampire from the worst of the imagined tortures. It wouldn't save him from her stake but it would buy him a more humane ending.

"WILLIE!" Spike shouted as he paused in his fruitless search for another bottle containing any remaining alcohol.

The little snitch jumped and took an unconscious step towards the Slayer.

"I need another bottle," Spike demanded.

The bartender took another step so that he was completely behind Buffy. Although the Slayer wasn't a large person, Willie did his best to remain hidden from sight.

"He's done nothing but make demands for blood, drinks and cigarettes the entire time," Willie whispered in a whiny voice. "I never seen a vamp drink so much bottled blood. He's killing my profits and destroyed my office."

In Willie's mind, the loss of profits was far worse a fate then the destruction of his private space.

Spike called for the bartender one more time. Instead of answering, Willie scampered out the door. It slammed shut in his wake. When the vampire got no reply from the cowardly bartender, he attempted to focus on the person standing by the couch.

"Hey, gorgeous," he flirted when he finally realized that the person looming over him happened to be a cute, blonde female. His brain hadn't sobered enough to realize just who was there but he hoped she would find him something more to drink before his brain lost its fuzzy feeling. Fuzzy was good. It covered the constant ache in his chest from Dru ripping out his figurative heart. Unfortunately for the bleached blond vampire, the fuzz also stifled the eminent stake threat to his real heart.

"Could you be a love and get me some scotch?" he requested as he attempted to focus his blurry vision on the teen. "Or whiskey. Rum 's fine too. No mezcal though. The soddin' worm creeps me out."

The vampire rolled his head against the couch back and closed his eyes while rambling about the idiots who put bugs in perfectly good liqueur. Buffy lost her temper long before he finished muttering incoherently.

"SPIKE!" the Slayer yelled as she grabbed him by the lapels of his scruffy coat. She lifted him back up and yelled right in his face. His legs wobbled under him and almost dropped him on the floor. The vampire opened his eyes and worked on focusing on Buffy's eyes. He raised his left hand and brushed back the blonde's loose hair from her cheeks. The misplaced tenderness shocked the teen into further screaming or shaking.

"Well, hello Slay-er," Spike muttered before he started laughing hysterically.

"Ugh," Buffy groaned as she rolled her eyes. She dropped the drunk back onto the couch and pinched the bridge of her nose. After she took another deep breath, she grabbed Spike's hair on the top of his head and forced him to look at her again. She addressed him like he was a very small child who lacked an extensive vocabulary.

"Spike," she called. She punctuated each word with a tiny shake to her grip on his hair. "Spike. Shut up and listen."

The laughter slowed and finally died as the fuzz in his brain cleared way for at least a couple rational thoughts.

"Lovely," he moaned as he reached up and tried to extract his hair from the Slayer's grasp. His hand fumbled against her fingers which only led to Buffy tightening her grip.

"Damn it, Slayer. Leave some on my head."

"Where is Angelus?"

"Don't know. Don't care."

"Not the right answer," Buffy replied as she pulled at his hair and yet again forced his head up to meet her gaze.

Spike moaned and wiped his face with his free hand.

"God, do you think I would be here if I knew where to find the prick?" the vampire barked.

Buffy frowned. She thought that the three remaining members of the Whirlwind would have been creating mayhem and bathing in blood together. It didn't make sense that Mr. Death and Destruction himself would be forgoing the chance to literally paint the town red.

"Why are you here?" she questioned harshly.

"I seemed to have misplaced my reservation for the Ritz," the vampire replied as he tried once again to pull the Slayer's hand from his hair. He still met with no success.

"Seriously?" Buffy harped before she gave his head one last shake and released her grip. Her stake slipped free and flashed forward. It came to rest against Spike's chest. "If you can't be of any help then you might as well be cleaned up by Willie when he sweeps up the rest of the trash in here."

Spike's left hand snapped forward and grabbed Buffy's wrist. He fumbled a bit due to his drunken state but he still succeeded in staving off his immediate dusting. For a moment, the two predators waged a silent battle of strength and stubbornness.

"What kind of help do you want from me?" he asked as his muddled brain attempted to plan an acceptable exit strategy. Spike possessed a canny ability to survive and his mind was scrambling for a way to ensure he escaped the Slayer. He quickly decided that if he played along than perhaps he would have a chance to flee.

"I need to find and destroy Angelus."

"You expect me to help you find him?"

"The thought did cross my mind," she replied as she eased up on the pressure on the stake against his chest. She didn't pull it back though.

"What's innit for me?"

"How about you get to meet next week as something other than fertilizer?"

"Not enough."

Buffy withdrew her stake from Spike's chest and crossed her arms over her own.

"What do you want?"

"I want in. I wanna see you hand him his arse. I want to be part of his bloody downfall."

It was not the demand she was expecting. She stared at the vampire as if trying to read in his eyes that he meant what he was saying. Finally deciding that Spike was being as honest in his desires, Buffy asked the one pertinent question to his statement.

"Why?"

"Why is the sky blue? Why is water wet? Why do you park on a driveway and drive on a parkway? Why do fools fall in love?" Spike asked back in ever increasing frustration.

The blond vampire paused in his rant. He raised deep blue eyes towards the Slayer. His voice became quiet, almost childlike in its confusion.

"Why haven't you dusted me yet?"

After heaving a heavy sigh, Buffy turned and dropped onto the couch beside Spike. Now it was the vampire's turn to be surprised. It didn't give him as much of a shock though because he had already learned to expect the unexpected when it came to this particular Slayer.

"I need help and the kind of help I need, my friends can't give me," the teen finally admitted.

Spike's head tilted a bit to the side and stared at the Slayer as if he were puzzling out a deep, dark secret.

"You think I can?" he asked tonelessly.

Buffy shrugged then nodded. She admitted that if he could help her, she would take it. The Slayer touched briefly on her mother's murder. When she noticed Spike have a slightly disgusted reaction to the news of her mother's death, Buffy decided that he could not have been part of the attack. She doubted he had even known it was going to happen. After she finished the painful story, she then asked an equally provocative why question. She wanted to know why he was here at Willies Bar instead of with Drusilla and Angel.

This time, Spike didn't offer any type of diversion. He simply related the way his Sire beat and abandoned him. Pain laced his voice as he described how Dru and Angelus left him in the alley to dust when the sun rose.

For a few moments, the two damaged warriors sat silently in the shared misery forced onto them by Angelus and Drusilla.

"So you want revenge?" the Slayer confirmed when she finally broke the silence.

"Yes."

"Me too."

Spike paused only a moment to consider her reply.

"Then I guess you have my help."

* * *

Buffy lay quietly on the sofa as she stared at the ceiling. Soft, classical music crept from the stereo speakers. The teen had been unable to find any popular music on the radio that was even remotely soothing and so she had settled for the local NPR station. Ten minutes ago, the blues that she had originally turned on shifted to a classical program. Buffy lacked the motivation to get up and change the station. Instead, she kept replaying in her mind last night's strange meeting with Spike.

She shook her head. The irritating blond vampire always seemed to throw her for a loop. He was never what she expected. She had gone to Willie's Bar hoping to find a lead on where to find Angelus. Instead of answers, she left with a tentative ally. Even more strange was the fact that she shared a fundamental desire with the demon. It was a sobering concept in a mind already overloaded with somber images.

The night before, Buffy had hidden the barely sober vampire at the house on Revello Drive. She and Giles still had a week and a half before the bank would take possession of the property so Buffy didn't feel at all guilty in inviting him to hide out in the basement. She had even helped the vampire set up an old cot that she dragged out from her family's long abandoned camping equipment. She had promised to bring him some bagged blood when she went over today to pack some more things. At this point in the day, she still hadn't found the motivation to bother leaving the house to do either of those chores.

Loud clattering at the front door rattled Buffy from her thoughts. She pushed herself up on her elbows and watched over the end of the sofa as the front door opened. In a rush of noise, the Scoobies clamored into the townhouse. The four students were clearly agitated. Even Oz seemed less than calm. If that wasn't reason for concern, nothing was. Buffy stood to meet her friends and to find out what was wrong.

Willow rushed over and gave Buffy a hug. Buffy flinched slightly when the keys in her friend's hand scratched her bare arm. The red head immediately apologized as she waved around the keys Giles had loaned her. Buffy offered her an accepting smile which helped slow the nervous babble.

The Slayer glanced at the clock on Giles' antique desk. It seemed like school should not have been out yet but she had difficulty with properly gauging time since her mom's death. There were moments when she stared into space for what felt like hours but it was only minutes. At other times, she blinked and an hour was gone. Buffy wasn't wrong this time though. It was just after lunch time. Her friends should still have been at school.

"You would not believe what happened," Xander exclaimed as if sensing her confusion. "Lunch was a crazy magic circus."

"Even more than usual," Oz added evenly.

"There were snakes," Cordy proclaimed as she lightly touched her cheek where a small bandage covered the spot on which one of the snakes had bitten her. "I mean, really, of all the places and people available, one had to bite my face?"

"It's cause you're so yummy," Xander stated with a goofy grin.

Cordy rolled her eyes but secretly felt pleased at the compliment. She slipped her arm around Xander's elbow and gave him a half of an affectionate hug.

"Sounds major," Buffy stated.

"Totally," Willow gushed. "Oh... and there was another shooting at the school. Just like before only with a teacher and custodian. They weren't friends or anything so no one was sure why it happened. Giles says it must be a ghost influencing the school and possibly possessing people. He thinks it is Jenny."

Buffy frowned. Forcing people to shoot others and themselves didn't sound like the type thing Ms. Calender would cause. The Slayer shared her feelings and everyone agreed. The other Scoocies decided that they needed to look into an alternative source of the problems. They pressured Buffy into joining them at the school that evening after dark. Willow explained that they planned to complete a cleansing ritual. The teens hoped it would clear out the ghost before it hurt anyone else. Reluctantly, Buffy agreed although she admitted that she wasn't up to dealing with any serious spook action if it could be avoided. She proposed that they all meet together behind the school.

Plans in place, the Scoobies exited with just as much disruptive noise as when they arrived. Buffy couldn't help but sigh in relief when the door closed. Although she loved her friends, they were a bit much for her in a time when she craved quiet like a thirsty man in a desert craved water.

* * *

"Spike!" Buffy called into the house as she slipped through the back door at her previous home. In her arms, she carried a large bag with multiple containers of pigs blood that she had purchased at the butcher. The Slayer figured that Spike was still a bit unsteady on his feet after recovering from the injury that landed him in the wheelchair therefore she also had one container of mixed blood that she bullied out of Willie. She had threatened to return Spike to his office if the bartender didn't help with her vampire upkeep. Although the teen might have admitted to herself that it wasn't fair to extort blood from the snitch, she just didn't have enough free cash to keep Spike fed properly. It wasn't like she could ask for blood money from her Watcher. She could just imagine how well that would go over.

The lack of spending money was just another reminder of how intricately entwined her mom had been in her existance. Joyce's death left a gaping hole in Buffy's life that encompassed so many aspects. She missed her mentally, emotionally, financially, and socially. The young woman silently wondered if she would ever properly recover.

Pushing aside her morose thoughts, she called for William again. When she received no reply from the vampire who was supposed to be hiding here, Buffy set the bag on the counter and headed for the basement. She stomped down the steps and walked to the cot. Despite the noise, the vampire didn't respond. Given the time of night, his lack of reaction was a bit unexpected. She prodded the Spike shaped lump under the covers.

The vampire moaned. He rolled over and begged her to just stake him. He had the mother of all hangovers and was just a step from breaking into tears from the combination of feeling abandoned and feeling ill.

"Nope," the Slayer replied as she pushed aside his legs so that she could perch on the corner of the cot. His boot covered feet smacked onto the floor and jarred the grumpy vampire into a more alert state.

"You are the worst Slayer ever," Spike grumbled as he sat up. "Won't kill a vamp even when he begs for it."

Tears immediately threatened Buffy's eyes. In her mind, she truly was the worst Slayer of all time. Her actions released one of the most evil vampires in history back on the world. She brushed the tears away and mentally reached for her snark to protect her bruised underbelly.

"Yeah, but you're the worst vampire ever. You are helping a Slayer take out the bad guy."

"You're the one who wanted my help, Princess," came his slightly snotty but truthful reply.

"You're evil. Aren't you supposed to lie about every thing?"

Spike smirked.

"Nah, not when the truth hurts more."

Buffy didn't respond to the gibe. Instead of commenting, she lowered her eyes to stare at her hands that were tightly clasped in her lap.

Spike watched Buffy who was trying so hard to appear calm but was failing miserably. Her body gave away all her secrets. Her heart was pounding, her breathing was rapid and all her muscles seemed primed for flight or fight. The vampire was intrigued.

"Whot happened, Slayer?"

"Angel."

"What did 'e do now?"

Buffy cringed then shared her less than pleasant evening. She related how the school was being haunted and that her friends and she attempted to exorcise the spirit. Their magical ritual attempt failed. The friends had been chased from the school by a huge swarm of bugs. After returning home with Giles, Buffy had felt compelled by an unexplained force to return to the school. Once there, the spirits manipulated the bugs to allow her entry. She had been followed into the building by Angelus where they were possessed by the spirits of long dead lovers. Just like the student shot his teacher, Buffy shot Angel with a spirit created gun. Since the bullets couldn't kill the vampire, Grace was able to force Angel to follow James in his Buffy shaped body. The two spirits reconciled and moved on in peace.

"I was not so lucky. No reconciliation for Buffy to go with the smoochies. All I got was a freaking out Angelus who bee-lined from my embrace. So much for my feelings."

"You expected something warm and giddy from Angelus?"

"Maybe?"

"You're more barmy than Dru."

* * *

"Willow," her mother greeted happily from the living room as her daughter entered the hallway from the front door. She had spent the late evening with Xander and Cordy after their attempt at clearing the spirit from the school failed. Although all she wanted was to go to bed, the redhead changed her direction to pass through the living room instead of heading directly to her bedroom. Her parents rarely went out of the way to interact with her unless it was a special occasion so she wasn't about to pass up the opportunity.

The teen entered the room and she could just see the back of someone's dark hair in the chair across from her mother. Sheila Rosenberg sat on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and a couple glasses of iced tea gathering condensation on the table between her and her guest.

"You're late getting home," her mother scolded lightly. "You should have been here when your friends arrived."

"Friends?" Willow repeated with an unexpected shiver of dread erupting in her stomach. She had just left her Xander's company and came directly home. There was no way anyone had arrived here ahead of her. Her dread turned to abject terror as her mother's companion stood.

"Hello Dearie," Drusilla called as she turned to smile evilly at the teen. The vampire waved her fingers at Willow in a cutesy manner before she shifted from her human to her demon face.

Willow barely had time to utter an eep before an arm wrapped around her body and yanked her roughly back against a hard, cool body. Tears started falling as Angelus leaned forward and ran his tongue up the side of her neck. Unaware of her daughter's distress, Sheila just sat quietly and stared into space. She was too far under Dru's thrall to react to the threat in any manner. She was little more than a living puppet for Drusilla to maneuver at will.

"Hello, Willow," Angelus purred against the frightened teen's ear. He nipped at her lobe and ground his body against her much smaller form. After his encounter earlier with Buffy and the spirits, Angelus felt violated. The ghosts had forced their sappy love into his body and mind and the demon needed something truly vile to wipe the experience from his senses. He anticipated the remainder of the night would cleanse him of his distress.

A shaking sob escaped from Willow's mouth as she struggled uselessly against the demon behind her. She fought for a few moments before defeat and exhaustion won. After that, all that remained was the screaming.


	3. last

**ENDURE**

intransitive verb

3\. to continue in the same state; last; "the style endured for centuries"

* * *

Startled, Giles looked up from the book he was reading as Buffy opened the front door.

"Were you patrolling?" the Watcher questioned in confusion. Since it was the start of the weekend and he had no school related work tomorrow, Rupert had decided to indulge in some pleasure reading. The Brit was comfortably ensconced in one of the living room's overstuffed chairs with a cup of tea, a midnight snack and the most recent Inspector Frost novel. Because of his immersion in the mystery, Giles had missed Buffy slipping from the house over an hour ago. He had mistakenly thought his Slayer had previously gone to bed. She had been so upset over the interaction with James' ghost and Angelus that he had figured she would retire to the privacy of her room for the night to recuperate. He hadn't expected to see her until morning.

Unaware of her Watcher's concerns at her behavior and his own inattentiveness, Buffy remained standing in the doorway. Nervously, she glanced over her shoulder before turning back to Giles.

"Um, not so much with the patrolling," she acknowledged which made her Watcher frown. It was well after two in the morning and he could not imagine why she would be out so late if not patrolling.

For a short time, Rupert wondered if this was the type of situation in which he should say something parent-like. He believed that most teenagers had some form of curfew. Granted, his Slayer needed to be out during the night but he felt that he should at least know when she was gone. This oversight reminded him yet again of his lack of skills as a proper guardian. He silently lamented that higher education did not offer a certificate in parenting.

Unaware of her Watcher's wandering thoughts, Buffy admitted sheepishly "I, uh, wasn't patrolling but I did kinda meet up with a vamp."

With that statement, all Giles' thoughts of parental duties evaporated to be replaced with the more comfortable Watcher role. Concerned about possible supernatural catastrophe, Giles stood. He tried to read what was bothering his charge now. She didn't appear injured but she was definitely feeling uneasy about something. It was plain to see from the nervous way she was shifting her weight between her feet and her extreme fascination with the tile pattern on the floor of the foyer.

"Was there something unusual about the vampire? You didn't have another altercation with Angelus, did you?"

"Yes and no?" she offered as she looked back over her shoulder once again. She then stepped into the room and opened the door wider.

Giles gasped.

"BUFFY! THAT'S SPIKE!" he shouted in horror as he recognized the bleached blond vampire standing just outside the protective threshold. He scrambled towards the chest beside his desk in order to retrieve a crossbow.

"It's okay, Giles," the Slayer stated. "He is supposed to be here."

Giles froze in horror as Buffy turned and invited William the Bloody into their home. With a cocky grin at the disappearing threshold of protection, the vampire stepped through the doorway.

"He's here to help," Buffy stated quietly yet firmly.

Giles whipped towards the teen. The weapon from the chest clattered against the lid in his haste.

"HELP? Are you insane?"

Buffy exchanged a tiny smile with the vampire who was now casually leaning against the closed door. He appeared utterly relaxed and comfortable in the presence of two of the people whose main purpose in life was to ensure he and his kind were dust. The unloaded crossbow and the quarrel clutched firmly in Giles' hands didn't worry him in the least. Even an armed Watcher could not compare with the danger of an unarmed Slayer and Spike had spent enough time with Buffy the last couple evenings to realize that she wasn't going to attempt to dust him until after Angelus was gone.

Spike also correctly believed that she wouldn't allow her Watcher to do him any harm. Although this particular Slayer fought with a creativity and a fire that impressed him, she seemed to possess a fair bit of honor and a side order of sweetness. The vampire found the mix a strange combination. If he had taken the time to think about it, then he would have realized that it was the uncommon mingling of warrior and woman that intrigued the vampire more than was healthy for a demon.

"You wouldn't be the first person to call me that tonight," Buffy commented as she moved further into the room and motioned Spike to join her in the kitchen.

Turning his back on Giles and the crossbow, the vampire stalked after the teen. The pair was followed by the silently fuming Watcher who feared that his charge had lost what little sense she has shown previously. He stood by the doorway and stared at the strange behavior of his Slayer. She seemed unfazed by the presence of the Slayer of Slayers in their home. The older man could not believe his eyes. The juxtaposition of the mundane and the extraordinary set Rupert's world on an uncomfortable tilt. For a moment, he felt dizzy and grabbed at the archway to steady himself.

In the kitchen, Buffy filled the teapot with water and placed it on the stove to heat. She then moved from cupboard to cupboard pulling out cocoa mix, cinnamon, vanilla extract, ground Cayenne pepper, and mini marshmallows. She set the ingredients on the counter and pulled a mug out of the cupboard above the dishwasher and some measuring spoons from a drawer by the sink. She said nothing as she carefully dumped three heaping spoonfuls of hot chocolate mix into the mug before adding a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon, a single drop of extract and a pinch of the pepper. She topped the mixture with six mini marshmallows. The teen jumped slightly when another mug thumped onto the counter beside her. Turning to frown at the additional cup, she appeared slightly confused as she lifted her eyes to meet Spike's steady gaze.

"You want some cocoa?"

"Sure. Looks good," Spike replied as he leaned casually on the counter.

After a moment's consideration, Buffy shrugged. Just because Angel never wanted to eat or drink around her didn't mean other vampires wouldn't enjoy something. Deciding to share with her new ally, she repeated the preparation steps for the second mug of hot chocolate. When she turned to grab the now steaming kettle, Spike snagged a small handful of the marshmallows and added them to his cup. Buffy rolled her eyes at the additional sweet treats taking up half of Spike's cup. With precise movements, Buffy filled the mugs with the proper amount of water. She was careful not to overflow the mugs and spill them. She returned the kettle to the stove and grabbed two spoons. The teen offered one to her vampire guest and then picked up her mug. She stirred the mixture carefully as she headed towards the living room.

Buffy brushed past Giles with a pleading expression evident in her eyes and a slight pout on her lips. The Watcher sighed and conceded the battle. Against his better judgement, he followed his Slayer into the room. As she settled on the couch, Rupert set the crossbow and the quarrel on the coffee table with in her easy reach then went to his cabinet and secured himself a couple fingers of scotch. He figured that he would need it for whatever Buffy had in store for him. His highly unconventional Slayer never ceased to amaze him.

Silently, Spike followed them from the kitchen. He remained outside the cozy collection of chairs and couch until after Giles chose to return to one of the chairs. Buffy had already tucked herself on one corner of the sofa. As if he owned the place, the vampire finally strode across the room and made himself comfortable on the chair opposite the Watcher and within easy reach of the Slayer. He grinned evilly at the tension in the other man's posture at his proximity to the teen. Casually, William took a sip from his mug and put his feet up on the coffee table. They nudged the crossbow slightly but Spike showed no interest in avoiding the weapon.

"This is good," he complimented after taking another sip of the spiced hot cocoa.

Buffy offered him a soft smile before explaining that it was one of the ways her mom made it. For the first time since her death, Buffy actually shared a small memory of her mother. The teen explained how Joyce had experimented with creating xocolatl at home after she came back from a visit to Mexico with her dad for their tenth wedding anniversary. Although her mom had enjoyed the bitter drink, Buffy and Hank had not enjoyed the unsweetened taste. Over time, the recipe mutated into the slightly spicy but sweetened version that Buffy had made that evening.

"Twas nice of your mum to change things to match your tastes," Spike soothed as he took another drink from his extra sweetened mug.

Buffy pulled her feet up onto the couch and tucked them to the side. A sad smile flitted across her lips as she nodded.

"Yeah, my mom did a lot of adjusting for me."

She sighed as she thought about their former life being uprooted to come to Sunnydale because Buffy could not attend school anywhere in the Los Angelus public school system after her fiasco with the burnt down gym. The teen remembered loud fights between her parents and the ultimate demise of the marriage. However untrue, she blamed herself for those too.

"Sounds like a right fine woman," the vampire praised.

Amazed that the teen actually seemed to be opening up to her emotions about her mother, Giles quickly added "She loved you, Buffy. She was happy to make any changes needed to ensure your happiness and well being."

Spike chuckled and raised a hand to rub the back of his head.

"She swung a mean axe too," Spike added with a grin towards the Slayer. "No wonder you're such a good Slayer."

Both Buffy and Giles were startled by the compliment. For just a moment, the pair stared at the vampire. Spike stared into his mug and wondered why he said such a thing. He guessed it was because he remembered what it was like to love and miss your mother. Despite over a hundred years of unlife, he still thought of his parent fondly. The Slayer's recent loss rung a familiar chord in his mind and his heart.

The silence stretched into uncomfortable levels before Buffy suddenly shifted. She planted her feet firmly on the ground and set her mostly finished mug of chocolate on the table beside the crossbow. She not so gently shoved Spike's boots off the furniture and took a deep breath.

"Right. Well, I guess I need to be a good Slayer and see about slaying Angelus."

The softer atmosphere evaporated with the uttering of his name.

"Need to find him first," Spike injected.

"We could do a couple sweeps of the factory district. Maybe come up with some trace of him?"

Spike shook his head.

"Waste of time. Angelus prefers the high life. He won't be squatting in some derelict warehouse."

"You were staying in an abandoned factory," Giles countered with a frown.

Spike offered a bit of a one shoulder shrug and admitted that they only set up residence there because it had originally been the lair for the Anointed One and his cronies. The vampire shared how Drusilla hadn't wanted to leave once she found a place for all her dollies and that he hadn't really cared. It had been an acceptable hide away. Spike didn't care if he slept in a cave, a crypt or a castle. He had been happy as long as Dru was with him. On the other hand, Angelus and Darla had always preferred rubbing elbows with the rich and powerful. They wanted the most elegant hotels, the fanciest staterooms and the most pretentious seating where ever they visited. They felt superior to all the measly mortals and found joy in reveling in the riches their demonic natures afforded them.

"We'd do better to scout the higher end residences. Angelus most likely ate some rich man's granny and is living it up in her home."

Giles pursed his lips and leveled a skeptical glare at the relaxing vampire.

"If we are harebrained enough to believe the word of William the Bloody, then I suggest you make a pass through the heights tomorrow night."

"That's the neighborhood where Cordy lives, right?" Buffy confirmed.

"I do believe so, yes."

"Okie-dokie," the teen agreed. She made eye contact with Spike. "Spike and I will patrol Cordy-land Saturday night. Hopefully find where Angelus is hiding."

She waited until Spike nodded his head in agreement. Despite their truce, the teen didn't want the powerful vampire feeling like a minion. Buffy figured that would lead to a quick demise of their ally status and she doubted she was up to dusting all three powerful vampires in quick succession.

Stifling a yawn, the Slayer stretched her arms above her head and admitted that she should get to bed if she stood a chance of concentrating on the schoolwork Willow planned to deliver tomorrow. Ingrained manners bypassing their natures and positions, the two males stood when she did. Shaking her head at their mirrored manners, Buffy gathered the two mugs and headed towards the kitchen.

Once her back was turned, Giles leveled all the considerable power and threat owned by the Ripper towards the invading vampire.

"If this is some elaborate scheme to kill my Slayer, you will find that there is no where on the entire earth where you could hide to avoid my wrath."

Spike resisted the urge to take a half step back from the suddenly dangerous seeming man. His fellow countryman had an untapped reserve of power that was unrelated to the Slayer. It was a neck ruffling touch of dark and magical power that made Spike uneasy. Instead of suffering the embarrassment of a retreat, the vampire offered a single nod in acknowledgment. It was his experience that Watchers were next to useless in real combat but this one seemed a bit of a rogue. He obviously didn't look at the Slayer as just a disposable weapon while he was the brains. He was a force unto himself.

"Watcher has a pair," Spike muttered.

"A pair of what?" Buffy inquired as she returned from the kitchen.

Before Spike could elaborate, Giles uncomfortably interjected "Glasses." As if to reinforce his response, the Watcher removed his eye-wear from his face and polished the lenses with a handkerchief from his pocket.

Once again, Buffy appeared confused. She somehow doubted they had been whispering about visual aids. Her gaze bounced between the two Brits. She knew she was missing something given the constipated expression on Giles' face and the amusement sparkling in Spike's eyes. She scowled lightly. When no further explanation was forthcoming, she shrugged and turned her attention solely onto William.

"Are you heading back to Revello?" she asked as she motioned him towards the front door.

Spike settled his duster more securely around himself before shaking his head. He planned to wander some of the night spots where he might find a minion or two to beat for information. The sooner they found Angelus the better and Spike practically itched with the need to do something. He did intend to keep his non-dusty status a secret from the family that abandoned him. He grinned. It meant he would need to dust any vamps he met before they could report back to Angelus.

Buffy opened the front door for him and he passed by her. The vampire started down the steps without a goodbye.

"Be careful," the teen called after her escaping ally.

Spike turned as he reached the bottom of the cement steps. He raised his eyes for one last look at the young blonde who stood in a halo of light in the open doorway. The shadows effectively hid the visual evidence of her grief and she appeared almost angelic. The image wiggled into a permanent place in William's memory for remembrance in the future.

"Where's the fun in that?" the vampire finally answered with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. The fleeting image of beauty was shuffled away behind his antsy need for action.

Buffy's only answer was to shake her head and to close the door. She twisted the deadbolt and turned to face the inevitable censure from Giles on her reckless behavior. She wasn't disappointed in her prediction. Giles had more than a few words to share. Unfortunately for the teen, she didn't get to bed anytime in the near future.

* * *

The phone rang at the Rosenberg home. It was the sixth time someone had interrupted the early evening's tea party. Whoever was hoping to receive an answer was quite persistent. They had been calling every fifteen minutes for over an hour.

"Would you just answer the damn thing so they stop calling," ordered Angelus from the front room.

"Of course, Daddy," Drusilla replied immediately before turning to the woman seated across from her at the dining room table. She stared intently into the woman's eyes just long enough to ensure her thrall was still strongly in place. "Shelia, dear, would you be ever so kind as to explain to whomever keeps ringing us that we wish to be undisturbed."

Just like Dru answered previously, Shelia replied "Of course."

She immediately stood and moved to the extension hanging on the wall. She answered with her normally formal greeting. She paused to listen to the caller before replying in the exact manner Drusilla wished her to respond.

"I am sorry, Bunny. Willow is indisposed at the moment. She is unable to come to the phone."

There was another long pause on this side of the conversation. Shaking her head even though her daughter's friend could not see it, Shelia spoke once again. "I understand that she was supposed to provide you assistance with your homework but she is unable to fulfill the obligation. I suggest that you contact a different classmate because Willow will not be available at all this weekend."

Mrs Rosenberg waited for the caller to reply before ending the call.

"I am sure you will see Willow on Monday," she promised before hanging up the extension. The enthralled woman moved back towards the table and their elaborate tea party. She stopped beside the drained corpse of her husband who was propped up at the head of the table. Shelia dropped a quick kiss on Ira's cold cheek and patted him on his stiff forearm. She turned her attention back to Drusilla and resumed her seat.

"So sorry for the interruption, Miss Drusilla," Shelia apologized before offering to refresh their tea cups.

Dru clapped her hands like a pleased child. She grinned joyfully and nodded. It was always so easy for the gifted vampire to deeply thrall those with little imagination or those overly fond of rules. Sheila Rosenberg fit both these categories so it took almost no effort for Dru to keep her completely under her control. As Mrs. Rosenberg refilled their china cups, Angelus stomped into the room from the living room.

"Care for some tea, Daddy?" Drusilla asked innocently as her host added two sugar cubes to her newly filled cup.

"No, Dru. I don't want any tea," he snapped as he shoved one arm into his dress shirt. He hated being interrupted when indulging his perverse pleasure in creating agony for some poor victim.

His Childe rose seductively from her seat and flowed towards her irritated Sire. She leaned forward and lapped at the spattering of blood on the center of his chest.

"Grumpy... Bumpy... Lumpy," she murmured between licks.

When his chest was clean, Drusilla peered around Angelus' shoulder. She shifted from her human guise to her demon one.

"Is your dollie weeping?" she asked as she listened for sounds from the living room. All she heard was the quiet thump of a heartbeat and shallow breathing.

Angelus grumbled that his new toy was unconscious and that it wasn't as much fun when they didn't cry.

"Would Daddy like to play with my dollie for a bit?" Dru offered with a nod towards Shelia who was still sitting at the table and nibbling on a blueberry muffin.

"Nah... got'a better idea," Angelus replied as he scooped Drusilla into his arms. She squealed in delight as her Sire placed her bottom on the formal dining table. With a swipe of one arm, he sent the tea service and treats clattering onto the floor. Drusilla immediately pushed at his already unfastened leather pants as he balled together the material of her dress and yanked it up. Her squeals quickly turned to moans as Angelus found another way to pass the time.

Across the thumping table, Shelia Rosenberg enjoyed the remainder of her tea unaware of her husband's graying corpse slumped in his chair or of her unconscious daughter trussed and gagged on the living room floor.

* * *

"Were you bit by the crazy bug!?" Xander questioned in utter horror as he stared across the library table at Buffy.

From behind the circulation desk where he was flipping through an old book, Giles snorted. The Watcher was searching for anything that might assist the Slayer in dusting Angelus. Nothing he read helped in the least but he had acquired a whole new set of nightmare images to haunt him later. Reading about Scourge was enough to give the staunches of men a queasy gut.

Buffy glared at the silent librarian for a second before turning her frown towards the available Scoobies gathered in the library after school on Monday. Besides the Slayer and her Watcher, only Xander and Cordelia were present. Willow had not come to school today and Oz was still not sure how welcome he would be in the group without the redhead being present.

"That seems to be the popular opinion," the Slayer replied as her frown shifted to a mildly amused smirk as she flashed on the recent accusations from both Spike and Giles.

"I think I might have to side with Xander here," Cordelia agreed as she shook her head at the utterly unbelievable story Buffy had just shared about her truce with Spike.

"First time for everything," Xander teased as he grabbed his girlfriend's hand and gave it a playful squeeze.

"Don't get used to it," responded Cordy with her typical superior attitude.

Xander fleetingly preened under her snippy yet affectionate attention before turning back to Buffy. The mirth disappeared.

"Seriously, Buff-ster. How can you even think about joining forces with Evil Dead? It's gotta be a trick."

"I don't think so. You didn't see him. He was all making with the drunken sobs and scattered rages. I mean, he was really broken up over Dru trying to kill him."

"That would put a damper on the relationship," Xander admitted in a half decent imitation of Cary Elwes.

Buffy offered the expected little smile of amusement at her friend's attempt at humor but she refused to be swayed in her belief that Spike was her best bet for taking out Angelus and Drusilla. She was confident she could survive one of them but the idea of facing both at once set a horde of butterflies loose in her stomach. Now that she had time to think about the situation, her anger and grief could not completely overpower her Slayer common sense. No matter what Xander thought, she needed Spike.

The Slayer shot a pleading look to her Watcher in hopes of him supporting her position. He scrupulously avoided making eye contact with her by keeping his eyes practically pasted to the pages of his book. He didn't want Buffy to feel that he wasn't supporting her but he was not about to lie. He truly thought an alliance with Spike was beyond foolish. Avoidance seemed his best bet.

Realizing that she wasn't going to get any of the verbal affirmation she desired, Buffy shoved back her chair and stood. The Slayer was a bit annoyed that no one seemed to take her support her plan. She truly believed her alliance would give her the needed edge in her win against Angelus. In addition, the teen felt a connection with the vampire. They had both been betrayed and shattered by the one they loved. It made her feel connected to Spike in a way that she doubted the others could understand. They felt the hatred and the rage but there was still that tiny speck of love that underlined all the painful stuff and made the battle so much harder to face.

"I need to go pick up some blood from the butcher shop," she explained as she shoved her notebooks and fuzzy pink pen into her bag. She didn't add that she also planned to stop at Willie's Bar for a another bag of donated human blood. Since their second disappointing search of the heights last night ended in them growling and snipping at each other until they both stormed off in anger, Buffy hoped to offer the vampire a bit of an apology without actually needing to say she was sorry to the undead demon. Human blood seemed like the right kind of apology gift for a vampire who had been reduced to drinking bagged pig or beef blood.

"I then plan to finish packing the last couple boxes in the upstairs at Revello," Buffy explained to Giles so that he would not worry when she wasn't home right away. "I'll be home for supper before patrol."

Giles nodded and promised to have something ready for her return.

"This is so gonna come back and bite you in the ass," Xander predicted grumpily as he slouched further into his chair.

Buffy offered her friend a soft smile and a gentle touch on his arm to express how much she appreciated his concern. She gathered her messenger bag and slung it over her shoulder.

"Oh, and don't worry, Xan," Buffy called over her shoulder. "I doubt it's my tush-y in danger of being bit by Spike."

As the Slayer exited the library, she failed to hear her friend mutter about how much that single fact did not make him feel any better. From his place behind his counter, Giles silently agreed.

* * *

When the doorbell rang, Giles unconsciously checked the kitchen window to determine the status of the sun. There was still a touch of light in the sky although it was faintly touched with the deepening violet that preceded the sunset. He washed the chicken residue from dinner preparation and was drying his hands on a tea towel when the bell rung a second and then a third time.

"Keep your shirt on," the Watcher muttered as he tossed the towel on the table. He didn't exactly enjoy cooking and interruptions only delayed the annoying task. The Brit reached the door and checked the peephole. Frowning, Giles threw over the dead bolt and yanked open the door. Oz stood on the stoop visibly shaking with his finger still pushing repeatedly on the door bell. It was like he hadn't even realized that the bell had been answered.

"Good Heavens, Oz," Rupert exclaimed as he reached out and pulled the rather pale student into the foyer.

"Whatever has happened?" he prodded as he shuffled the clearly distressed musician into the living room. He assisted the teen to a chair while surreptitiously checking the young man for injuries. He appeared physically intact but Giles suspected Oz was in shock from something. The Watcher glanced about the room and wondered what to do next. If Oz had been an adult, he would have offered him a stiff drink but that wasn't a good option for the under aged student. Instead of the alcohol, the Brit retrieved a glass of water and forced it onto his guest.

"Buffy?" Oz whispered with an edge of both confusion and demand after sputtering and gulping through half of the drink.

Rupert's chest contracted as his mind instantly flew to the idea that something terrible had befallen his charge.

"She... she's supposed to be at Revello packing the last of her things," Giles explained as his mind started chronically the preparations he would need to annihilate Spike if he had harmed her in any way. The bleached blond vampire seemed the more immediate threat to his Slayer given he was staying in her previous home. Angelus no longer had an invitation to the house so he could not have gotten to her there.

Having heard where to find the Slayer, Oz staggered towards the front door muttering about needing the Slayer. The slayer saved them and he desperately needed her to make things right. He absently placed the half filled glass on the table in the foyer as he stumbled towards the exit. Giles grabbed his car keys from the same table then snagged the back of Oz's shirt before he could head out the door. He offered to drive the incoherent teen to Buffy's old home and received no protest. As they drove towards their destination, the Watcher attempted to coax facts from his younger companion. The best Oz could articulate was that Willow needed Buffy.

By the time they reached the former Summers' home, Oz appeared less pale and had stopped shaking. The white of shock on his face had shifted to a sickly pale green and the uncontrollable shivers had decreased with the aid of all the car's heating vents angled towards him. He was simply sitting in the passenger seat with his elbows on his knees and his hands holding his lowered head.

Leaving Oz in the still running car, Giles rushed into the house while calling for Buffy. In one hand, he gripped a large cross while he patted his pocket to confirm it still held a stake. His Slayer answered him from somewhere upstairs which allowed Rupert a chance to relax slightly before he confronted Spike who came up from the basement to find out why the Watcher was causing a commotion.

Buffy rushed down the steps carrying a large bag of trash in one hand and a small chest propped up on her opposite shoulder. She reached the bottom of the stairs at the same time the resident vampire entered the foyer.

"We need to go," Giles stated to Buffy and motioned urgently towards the door.

The urgency of the demand gave the teen a slight pause. The Slayer shifted the weight of the chest and glanced around the entryway as she tried to decide where to drop it. Before she chose a spot, it was pulled off her shoulder.

Startled, the teen watched Spike carry the wooden container into the living room and place it in the middle of the open space.

"Thank you, Spike," Buffy offered as she allowed Giles to nudge her out the door. He stressed how pressing it was that they hurry so she tossed the trash bag into the outside bin and joined her Watcher at his car. The Slayer climbed into the back of the vehicle only to be startled once again by Spike. No one had expected him to come along but he followed her into the back seat as if he was a regular Scooby addition. Instead of arguing over the vampire's presence, Giles just put his car in gear and headed towards Willow's home.

The vampire shifted against the car door. His nostrils flared then he frowned as his attention focused on Oz. Spike leaned close to Buffy's ear and whispered "know your boy's a wolf, Slayer?"

Buffy nodded her head as she reached a hand out and laid it on her friend's shoulder. The older teen still looked wrung out but at least he was no longer incoherent. As he escaped the chilling effect of the shocked state, Daniel felt acute guilt take up residence in his chest. He realized that he shouldn't have rushed to Buffy in hopes of her fixing the problem. In his clearer state of mind, the older teen recognized that the Slayer had been through enough trauma already. She didn't need the immediacy of this new one. Oz started shaking his head and apologizing for dragging them into this mess.

"You didn't drag us anywhere, Oz," the Slayer promised. The sinking sensation she experienced when her mother failed to pick her up from the hospital started swirling once again. Buffy shoved aside her fear and anxiety though to offer support. "Friends help friends. You need us; we will be there."

This time it was Spike's turn to be surprised. He would not have figured any Slayer to be friendly with someone with an even more bestial demon side than the vampires she slayed regularly. Buffy's ease and attitude with the other kid had William placing the other teen firmly in the friend category. The Slayer had a werewolf as a friend. She had fallen in love with a vampire. Buffy Summer truly was a whole different kind of Chosen One. Spike canted his head a bit as he contemplated the new things he was learning about the Slayer. He wondered if she would consider befriending an unsouled vampire. For the first time, the vampire admitted to himself that there might be a bit more than respect for her skills as a warrior in his feelings for her. Being friends might be interesting.

It was only a few blocks to the Rosenberg house but it was more than enough time for Spike to decide he actually liked the Slayer. He repressed the need to smack himself in the head for being an idiot but he wasn't going to deny the feeling. At least, he wasn't going to attempt to delude himself. He didn't plan to start broadcasting it to the public though. He doubted his ego could take the stigma of the Slayer of Slayers actually wanting to be friends with a Slayer instead of adding her demise to his list of accomplishments.

As Giles pulled onto the proper street, Oz started to shake again.

"Willow wasn't at school," Oz stated as he tried to remain in control. His normally mellow voice carried a slight squeak as he explained how he want over to her house to check on her since no one was answering the telephone. It was the type of thing a good boyfriend would do and Daniel enjoyed dating Willow. As expected, he worried about her.

Giles parked the car and the foursome soon found themselves standing on the sidewalk in front of the darkened house.

"No one answered the door when I knocked or when I rang the doorbell," Oz explained. As he stood staring at the house, his shivers visibly increased. Within just a few seconds, the teen looked paler than the vampire.

Spike's nostrils flared. He turned slightly towards the side of the house. There was a attached garage on the other side of the home but this side had a small side yard and garden path that led to the patio in the back yard.

"Your nose as good as mine?" he asked the werewolf.

Oz shrugged but then stuttered out "don't know. Never been a vamp."

When Spike frowned slightly at the teen, Oz clarified "some of my senses are way better than human."

"You follow your nose when you were here before?" Spike prodded.

Oz swallowed. He tried to answer but only stammering came out. He finally just nodded. Buffy reached out and took his hand as they turned to face the direction the vampire found so interesting. While Oz, Buffy and Giles stood motionless on the sidewalk, Spike moved forward. With the confident stride of an apex predator, he disappeared silently around the side of the house. He was obviously not upset by whatever he could smell.

Instead of moving towards the walkway and the back yard, Giles took off his glasses. He folded them and tucked them in his pocket. He doubted he would want a crisp, clear image of what awaited them. Since Oz hadn't rushed out of the vehicle and around the house, he unfortunately inferred that there was nothing they could actively do for whatever situation had been orchestrated at the Rosenberg home.

"I am correct in assuming that we need to call the police and not an ambulance," the Watcher stated more than asked.

Again, Oz just nodded. There were tears pooling in his eyes and a lump in his throat that made it difficult to swallow.

Buffy gave her friend's hand one more squeeze before she released him and moved to follow Spike. Giles grabbed for her shoulder. He just caught it in time to keep her from walking away from them.

"You do not need to go back there," he counseled in hopes of sparing her the impending horror.

Buffy's lips pressed together and she straightened her posture. She pulled her mantle of Slayer around her like a protective blanket that would at least shield some of what was to come.

"Yeah, I kinda do," she replied as she pulled away from the comfort of Giles support. Buffy knew in general what she was about to see but she needed to face the specifics. It was her fault whatever happened occurred. The least she could do was acknowledge whatever horror was there. In a few strides, she too disappeared around the side of the building.

Sighing heavily, her Watcher steadied his nerves then followed. Unable to stand being alone even if it meant facing the back yard again, Oz trailed the others.

When Buffy rounded the edge of the house to the Rosenberg back yard, her very human nose finally picked up what Spike and Oz had smelled from the sidewalk out front. The cloying stench of decomposing flesh mingled with the almost metallic meat smell normally found at the butcher shop. Under it all was an undercoat of outhouse odor. Buffy had to work to avoid retching at the assault on her nose.

The visual effect was just as disturbing and the teen closed her eyes for a moment to keep control of herself. She shoved aside her emotional response and just observed as best she could.

"Not the most artistic bit o' work. Angelus must be slipping in his old age," Spike commented as he considered the three bodies strung on a single rope and hanging from the large oak tree that shaded the perfectly maintained patio. The victims were caught in the rope at the neck and also at the feet so that they hung parallel with the ground. They were presented from oldest to youngest with Willow's body only a foot above the ground. Spike stuck his hands in the pockets of his duster and rocked on his heels as he tried to see the creative flare his Grandsire always insisted needed included on his more meaningful kills.

"Willow's fish."

"Huh?" the vampire grunted in confusion. The Slayer's comment pulled his attention from the scene to her face.

In a dispassionate voice that reflected none of her inner disgust, anger and sadness, Buffy told the story about how Angelus killed Willow's pet fish then strung them on string. Angelus had repeated the pattern with the three Rosenbergs. In turn, Spike admitted that the similarity was what he hoping to achieve.

"Can you tell how they died?" Buffy whispered to Spike. If any of them stood a chance of predicting the circumstances of the deaths, it would be the vampire. As William nodded, Buffy vehemently hoped that they had died quickly.

Stepping closer to the tree and its dead ornaments, Spike combined his senses to make an educated prediction.

"The old man's been dead a while. Drained. Most likely since Friday evening. Possibly Thursday morning."

Spike pointed to the two sets of fang marks on Ira's neck. He explained that a different vampire dined on either side. After a deep breath, Spike confirmed what they already suspected as truth. Angelus and Drusilla were to blame for the carnage.

Moving to the side so that Buffy could see clearly, Spike pointed to the bruising around Shelia Rosenberg's neck.

"She was strangled. No sign of resistance. Would bet Dru had her thralled."

Spike poked a finger against the skin of Shelia's arm. He then bent and repeated the poke on Willow's arm.

"Mum died last but only barely."

"The redhead's one of your friends," Spike confirmed. An expression that could only be interpreted as pity flashed across his face. The teen noticed it but shoved against the sympathy. She didn't deserve it.

"Yes," Buffy replied softly. "Willow. Her name's Willow."

Buffy pressed her left hand against her stomach as she slipped free the stake she had tucked in her back pocket. The wood felt smooth and comforting in her hand as her eyes traveled over the badly beaten body of her best female friend. The Slayer didn't even realize that there were tears leaking down her cheeks as she continued to move around the scene Angelus had set so carefully.

"How'd she die," Buffy quietly questioned.

The vampire shifted his head ever so lightly and took a shallow breath. Given the fluids he could smell and what he knew of Angelus, he could make a pretty good guess of how long it took for the red head to die. Spike glanced over his shoulder towards the werewolf. He raised an eyebrow which was answered with a quick shake of his head from Oz.

Acknowledging the silent request from the wolf to keep some of his observations to himself, Spike answered the simplest way.

"Blood loss."

Although technically true, the explanation left out all the lurid details that Spike and Oz could smell on Willow's body. Those were details Buffy didn't need to know.

Giles stepped forward and wrapped his arm around Buffy's shoulder. He pulled her into a hug as he asked if any of the victims would be rising as vampires. Buffy took a deep and shuddering breath. She didn't want to have to stake Willow. It had been hard enough dusting her friend Ford. Being forced to eliminate the demon in her best friend's body would be even worse.

"No worries on that front," Spike assured Giles which allowed Buffy and Oz to both breath a sigh of relief.

Giles herded the two teens away from the scene. With a blatant disregard for his normally reserved and proper appearance, he wrapped an arm around Buffy. The older man whispered soothing words against her hair and promised that she would survive this new pain. The hug lasted only a moment but the teen clung to the sentiment behind the unexpected support.

The Watcher offered to contact the police. Surprisingly, Oz agreed to talk with them too. He took one last look towards the tree before explaining it would make more sense for him to have found the bodies. He at least had a reason for visiting. The Watcher did not.

Buffy would have silently stayed beside her Watcher if Spike had not decided otherwise.

"Slayer and I will make a sweep of the area. Hopefully find a trail to follow. Maybe something to kill."

Buffy raised her head and shifted the stake a bit in her grip. She agreed with the vampire. The Slayer was more than willing to patrol. Killing something right now sounded really good to her.

* * *

It was well past midnight yet activity stirred in the school library. Oz had requested that the remaining Scoobies be told tonight about Willow instead of hearing about it in school the next day. Giles had agreed and had contacted Xander and Cordelia with the instructions to join them once Buffy and Spike returned from their short trip to find something to kill. The couple minion dustings had temporarily relieved the Slayer's tension but it was back with a vengeance now that they were together and discussing Angelus' most recent attack.

"How could you let this happen?" Xander lamented as he paced restlessly around the reference table. He paused his stomping just long enough to glare at the silent Slayer who had yet to say anything about Willow's death.

"Shut your hole," Spike snapped at Xander. Having decided just this evening that he wanted the Slayer as a friend, the vampire wasn't about to allow anyone, even her closest friends, abuse the already hurting teen. She didn't deserve it no matter what the others believed.

Harris was way too angry to listen to the warning even if he had cared about anything a vampire might say. He was an uncontrollable ball of rage and frustration. Xander had to find some target for all his feelings or they would drive him insane. Since Angelus wasn't here, Buffy was the next logical target.

"NO!" he shouted. "It is her fault! She's the one who caused all this. She's to blame!"

Oz and Cordy watched helplessly as Xander completely lost control of his emotions. The student practically jumped in place when he paused in his circuit as he continued to yell harsh and hurtful accusation at the shaking blonde who was hunched into a tight ball on the library steps.

"She just had to date the undead. And it wasn't enough just to mack on the vampire. Oh no, she had to fuck him and rip his soul out of him and leave behind the worst kind of monster imaginable. She screwed him and it screwed us! She's the reason Ms. Calender is dead. She's the reason Mrs. Summers is dead. SHE'S THE REASON WILLOW IS DEAD!"

Buffy flinched with each accusation. She didn't look up or even try to argue against the nasty words spewing from her friend's mouth. She wouldn't say a word because in her heart she blamed herself too. The oppressive silence from Cordy and Oz just reinforced her belief. They did not jump to her defense so she assumed they agreed with their more vocal friend. The gentle words of encouragement that Giles had offered earlier fell forgotten under the onslaught of hatred being dumped on her already over-burdened shoulders.

"IF SHE HAD KEPT HER FUCKING LEGS TOGETHER, NONE OF THIS WOULD..."

The vicious rant suddenly ended as Spike's fist connected with Xander's jaw. The blow sent the teen flying backwards and crashing to the ground. For a second, Harris saw nothing but flashes of light and he had to fight to remain conscious.

In response to the violence, everyone froze at the unexpected reaction of the fuming vampire. Giles reached under the counter for the already loaded crossbow. Equal parts of fear and anger shifted through the teens as they watched Spike take a protective position in front of the unresponsive Slayer. The vampire was making a silent yet unmistakably loud statement as to how he felt towards the situation.

"Unless anyone has somethin' useful to share, we are done here," the vampire announced as he reached back and snagged hold of Buffy's upper arm. He yanked sharply which pulled the Slayer to her feet. It wasn't a gentle grip or motion but not as painful as he could have made it. Passively, the teen allowed the vampire to lead her out of the library. Once they were out of the room, Spike increased his velocity. Buffy was forced to match his pace or tangle her feet and fall. Sprinting at supernatural speed, the pair slammed through the front doors of the school. Together they jumped down the first set of steps at the entrance. With another stride and leap, they were over the second set of steps and able to take off down the street.

Spike remained at the grueling rate until they had left the school well behind them. He finally slowed to a walk when they reached the entrance to Shady Brook. The vampire pulled the slightly panting Slayer into the cemetery and led her down one of the twisting paths. When they arrive at a tiny scattering garden and reflection pond behind a marble columbarium, Spike shoved Buffy towards a bench. When she dropped without protest onto the stone seat, William dropped to one knee in front of her. He reached out and caught hold of her chin. He lifted her face until she had to meet his gaze.

"Okay, you deal with it now. Get it out. Vent, rage, wail or whatnot. Do what ya gotta because once you're done, you need to get back on track. Angelus is not gonna stop until he is either dead or every part and person in your life is gone. The longer we take the more damage and death he deals."

Buffy nodded. One moment, she was sitting there silently. and the next one, she was sobbing hysterically. Her body shook as violently loud sobs filled the quiet darkness. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she clutched her arms around her body in a desperate imitation of an embrace.

Spike moved to sit beside her. After a moment of indecision, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gently patted her back. The vampire felt completely out of his element but he had to offer something to help. He might have believed himself to be completely evil but he was far from immune to Buffy's anguish. Ignoring his own insecurities, Spike remained nervously poised in this uncomfortable position of providing comfort until her sobbing slowly lessened.

"Their deaths are my fault," Buffy whispered.

"Don't see you as the hatchet-ing of humans kinda monster, Slayer."

"But I am the reason they are dead. I'm the reason Angel is killing again. He never would have done such terrible things if not for me. I made him this way."

"Bollocks. Angelus was made long before you were a thought in your great grandparents wildest dreams. You didn't make him. That's all on Darla's doorstep."

"I'm the reason he lost his soul."

"No. The idiotic curse was the reason he lost his soul. You were just a girl in love."

"But if I..."

Spike interrupted her continued attempt to assume blame for the loss of Angelus' soul.

"Look, you silly chit, did you know what would happen by having sex with the Bastard?"

"No," she softly admitted.

"Did you know anything about the curse?"

Buffy shrugged and admitted that they only knew the basics and that most of what they learned was not until after it was broken.

"You are not to blame for being in love."

"Love sucks."

Spike took a deep breath. Although he would have liked to vehemently deny the sentiment, he couldn't.

"That is does," he agreed with a note of melancholy drifting into his voice.

"I'm sorry," Buffy murmured as she reached out and brushed a soft touch on William's leg. The feather-light connection made it clear that her apology was for his failed relationship and not for any of her part in relation to Angelus. The vampire found her empathy less repulsive than her guilt.

"Can't help who we love, Pet. We just happened to get a bit of a raw deal with our hearts."

Buffy scoffed before stiffening with resolve. She scrubbed at her cheeks and eyes to clear them of her remaining tears.

"I have to kill him."

Although she had thought it so many times and vowed it in vengeance repeatedly in the past couple weeks, her statement carried a certain calm commitment that it had lacked previously. Any tiny residue of love she might have harbored for Angel was gone.

"Yes."

Buffy drew away from Spike's awkward embrace. She shifted on the bench so that it was easier to meet his eyes.

"You still willing to help me?"

"Yes."

"Even if it means Drusilla dies too?"

Spike blinked once then met the Slayer's gaze.

"Yes."

One single word really could change the entire world.

Buffy stood resolutely.

"Shall we go back to see Giles and get with the planning?"

"Sounds like a plan," Spike agreed as he too rose. He caught the tiny, unexpected smile tipping up his companion's lips. Since her expression surprised him, he raised his eyebrow questioningly. Buffy easily read his unstated question.

"I kinda like when you're all agreeable," Buffy teased as she tried to raise both their spirits. It might not have been a great attempt but it was an attempt just the same. Without waiting to see his response, the Slayer turned and headed towards the grave yard exit.

"Don't get used to it," growled Spike as he fell into step behind the young woman. Despite his grumpy grumble, an answering amused smirk quirked the edge of the vampire's mouth. Not that he would ever admit it aloud but William found it pretty pleasant when in agreement with the Slayer too. He would have rather dusted than share that bit of knowledge but it didn't make the statement any less true.

* * *

"'Ello again, Kitten," Drusilla whispered as she reached into the fading sunlight and snagged Xander's arm. Cordy's double chocolate latte and his boring regular coffee dropped to the ground and splattered at their feet. With a minimum effort, the vampire dragged the dark haired teen into the shadow of the darkened alleyway where the pixies had told her to wait. They had promised her a new prince. "Did you miss mummy?"

Xander squeaked in fear and fought to get back to the fading safety of the sunlight. As the crazy vampire shoved him against the brick building, he mentally berated himself for giving into his girlfriend's incessant pleading for chocolatey, caffeine goodness. It didn't matter how idiotic it was to be in public any time near dusk. Xander was wiped. With the death of his best friend just a few days ago, the teen lacked the strength to even offer a token protest to anything Cordelia said. Given his current grief, he couldn't even summon the energy for a full blown panic attack when faced with Drusilla's feral gaze. Accepting the inevitable, Xander realized he was about to add to the ever increasing death count. He whimpered as he caught just a hint of the bumper of Cordelia's car idling across the street. It might as well have been miles away for all the good it would do him.

"I remember you," Drusilla purred through her fangs as she slid one of her hands around Xander's head and easily pressed him into immobility with the other one against his chest. Her fingers danced along the teen's hairline. Her talon-like nail traced a surprisingly gentle path along his ear. "Hearts and hands and St. Valentine. You promised me coffee and a show."

Her nail slid off his earlobe and down to his neck. Xander's breath caught sharply in his chest as the deadly claw circled at his pulse point. She leaned forward and inhaled deeply along his collar.

"Song and dance and pretty maids all in a row. I like the colored picture shows. So moving and gay and filled with nummy treats just waiting in the dark for princess to taste."

She frowned as memories of Spike bringing her beautiful dresses and taking her out on movie and dinner dates. The happy images just reminded the vampire about the loss of her previous lover. She shook off her demon ridges as she shook away the memories. She missed her Sweet William. He had taken such good care of her and missed his attentions. Drusilla had been the center of his world and she lamented that she lost him. She loved having Angelus back but she was not the center of his world. He was too busy obsessing on the Slayer to meet all Dru's needs. Her head tilted to the side.

"My dark prince has gone. He danced in the sunshine and left his princess all alone."

Drusilla leaned up and gently pressed her lips against Xander's trembling lips.

"Will you be my new dark knight?" she whispered against his lips. "Daddy promised me my choice. Eenie meanie miney mo. Your dark beauty would have to go. Distract Daddy from princess she would. The moon calls the wolf and puppy would slip my leash. The Watcher smells of books and dirty dead demons. You are fresh and full of devotion. You will bathe in the joy of death and doom. A proud new knight in a tasty new world."

The vampire placed one last kiss against the teen's lips before her human face shifted once more into game face. Her fangs nipped at his lower lip. The bite drew the slightest bit of blood and her tongue swept out to steal a taste. She cooed as Xander babbled in fear. His survival instincts were finally overcoming his current general apathy to life.

"Do you want it?" Drusilla questioned softly into his ear.

Xander struggled against the much stronger monster. He reached out and tried to push her away from his neck but felt her fangs scrape against his skin. The teen tensed in anticipation of a bite that never came. Instead of death and the promised turning, Xander watched Drusilla be ripped away from him and tossed towards the darkest part of the alley.

"He may be an idiot but he doesn't want it."

"Spike?" the teen uttered in perplexed amazement as the blond vampire turned and placed himself between the human and the danger now keening in the darkness. Xander froze for only a heartbeat before self preservation kicked into place. He didn't even need the snarled command from William the Bloody that ordered him to run. He was already sprinting towards Cordelia's car and hopefully safety. He skittered out of the alley and plowed across the street unmindful of traffic. Xander threw himself at the car door and wretched it open. Yelling at his girlfriend to drive, he clamored into the front seat.

Although she normally would have resisted taking sharply issued orders, Cordy took one look at her frightened boyfriend and slammed her car into gear. The little car streaked down the street as the wailing rose to a fevered pitch in the darkness of the alley.

"NO, NO, NO!" screamed Drusilla as she clawed at her hair and stumbled from the shadows towards her previous lover. Her yellow eyes leaked tears as she held a hand out towards the other vampire. "The pixies said you embraced the sunshine. My Sweet William was gone. Lost to daddy and mummy and the darkness."

She screeched long and loudly as she began to pound her head.

Unconsciously, Spike took a single step towards the former love of his unlife. He stilled his motion though when Drusilla lifted her head and growled at him.

"You are not My Spike. You taste of ashes." Dru accused. "You're covered in the sunshine."

"Well, you and your precious Daddy left me to dust in it. Whot did you expect?" Spike snarled back.

"Bad doggy, slipped his leash," Dru pouted.

Spike shook his head.

"I didn't slip anything. I would have spent an eternity as your dog if only you had wanted me. You threw me away, luv," the blond vampire countered with obvious pain lacing every word.

Drusilla growled again. She offered no remorse or apology for her violent rejection. Her fleeting regrets at his loss disappeared under her fierce need to return the balance in the scales in her head. All she could see was her Childe bathed in sunlight so she knew it was true even if he still wasn't dust. Spike sighed in response before begging her to leave Sunnydale before she ended up dust on the end of the Slayer's stake.

"Mummy doesn't like this doggie anymore. It bites."

"Dru, please..." he uselessly pleaded.

"Bad doggies need put down."

With a snarl, Drusilla threw herself at William. Her claws drew blood on the side of his neck as they sought to bleed the life from him. Spike shoved her away and she knocked over a collection of trash cans. The clatter of metal on metal echoed through the alley. Screaming in rage, the vampire threw herself back at her former lover. He blocked her attacks with a series of moves that avoided injury but drove him towards the brick wall where Dru had previously trapped Xander.

"I don't want to hurt you, Dru," Spike explained as he worked to keep his Sire's blows from connecting. One of her punches slipped past his forearm. It connected with his jaw and snapped the back of his head against the building. Spike retaliated with real force for the first time. His blow caught her in the face and sent her flying back into the pile of toppled trashcans.

"Doesn't mean I won't," he added as he watched Drusilla rising from the garbage. He was so absorbed in watching his former lover turned enemy that he failed to notice his former enemy turned ally appear at the head of the alleyway.

Buffy had heard the clattering of the trashcans and the snarling when she arrived at the Espresso Pump. She originally planned to drink a bit of caffeine while she waited for Spike to join her for their evening Angelus search. Although she hadn't heard any screams, she still felt the need to investigate the noises. A cold stillness invaded her body as she noticed Drusilla scrambling up and screaming foul language at Spike. For a moment rage threatened to overwhelm her. After all the torment, one of the fiends involved in her mother's death showcase as well as Willow's torture and murder was before her. The moment of hesitation as the rage rushed unchecked through her mind and body gave Drusilla just enough time to snatch up a broken bit of wood and charge back at Spike.

Spike caught the makeshift stake in a two handed capture block just before it smashed into his chest. The force of the attack shoved him back against the wall once more. The two vampire stared at each other for just a second before Drusilla forced all her weight into her arms in an attempt to kill her Childe.

Spike practically moaned as he closed his eyes and considered just allowing her to win the battle. His survival instinct warred fleetingly with his fear of facing an eternity alone.

"Dru..." he whispered painfully as he opened his eyes for one last glance of the vampire he had loved for over a century. He saw only malice and disgust in her eyes. The last vestige of hope died in his heart and his grip relaxed. Before her makeshift stake could penetrate his chest, Drusilla cried in anguish. The vampire and her stake swirled into ash. Spike's startled blue eyes met the steady gaze of the Slayer through the shifting dust. Whatever he read in her eyes was vastly different than the malevolence reflected in his Sire's eyes. Her offered sympathy, sorrow and support were easy to identify. The vampire closed his eyes and banged the back of his head against the brick wall a couple times before he slid to the ground.

It wasn't a nice place like the quiet reflection garden where Spike had held Buffy as she finally released all her rampaging grief, but the Slayer knelt in the grime and filth of the alley anyway. Although her stake remained firmly clasped in her right hand, her left hand came to rest on Spike's right cheek. He leaned into the gentle, warm touch. When his shock shifted to shaking and sobbing pain, Buffy slipped her hand around his neck in a tentative hug. Crying in his own frustrating battle of sorrow, rage, and frustration, Spike reached for the teen. With both arms, he pulled the startled young woman onto his lap and buried his head against her chest. Her stake clattered to the ground as she settled into place against the grieving vampire. Her arms wrapped him just as tightly as he held her. It was her turn to offer the much needed comfort.


	4. unyeilding

**ENDURE**

intransitive verb

remain firm under suffering or misfortune without yielding; unyielding; "though it is difficult, we must endure"

* * *

Angelus shuffled around the mansion that he had appropriated for his home base. Spike had been right in his assessment of his Grandsire. He wasn't slumming it in some dank and dirty abandoned building. Soon after losing his soul, Angelus had eaten a rich elderly woman after seducing the woman's live in nurse after receiving an invitation into the house. He was enjoying the new accommodations immensely. The elaborate home was elegantly furnished, safe in a secluded neighborhood behind a stone wall and metal gates, and even had some impressive art on the walls. It perfectly fit the arrogant vampire's needs.

Unfortunately, the vampire was not currently enjoying his posh surroundings. The sun had risen hours ago and Angelus could barely contain his agitation. None of the house's amenities could come close to soothing his frustration. Not even the recent violence helped. The fledglings failed him therefore they paid the price of disappointing him. On the floor of the living room, three piles of dust were all that remained of the minions who were supposed to have watched Drusilla yesterday. Somehow she had slipped past them before the sun had even set and not a single useless fledgling had been able to find hide nor hair of her since. Every one of his gathered lackeys had been sent out to find her last night but were thwarted in their search by the arrival of dawn. A couple of them failed to return and Angelus was left to wonder if they were dust or fleeing from his wrath.

Anger overwhelmed the vampire. He began throwing the numerous decorations that the elderly woman had collected and displayed in her fancy living room. The little figurines shattered on the wall leaving dents in the drywall and scatterings of ruined porcelain all over the floorboards. Angelus was in such a snit over his missing Childe that he even momentarily forgot his obsession with breaking the Slayer. He flung himself onto the overstuffed couch and covered his eyes with his arm.

"If that bitch dusted My Precious Drusilla, I am going to make her regret every breath she takes for all eternity," he threatened as he began to contemplate how difficult it might be to replace his missing vampire seer with a freshly turned vampire Slayer. It hadn't been part of his original plans but if Dru was gone then he would need someone to stay with him. He could think of no one better than Buffy. If he turned her, then he could torment her forever. Nothing would make him happier.

Angel smiled and sat up. He liked this new idea. All worries about Drusilla were forgotten as the vampire set to planning his next step in breaking Buffy. He rubbed his hands as he considered where he could get the makings for some Molotov cocktails as well as a bit of magical talent. The first part would be easy. The second would require more planning. Angelus chuckled at his growing vision of how best to twist Buffy in knots over the death of her Watcher. From what he knew of the death of her original Watcher, there was potential for artistic parallels. The day was definitely looking up in the vampire's mind.

* * *

"May I come in?" Xander asked nervously as he stood outside of the townhouse where Giles and Buffy now lived. It had been over a week since Willow's death and the teen wasn't sure of the reception he was going to receive from the Slayer.

Buffy shrugged but slipped the door open further so her friend could enter. The Slayer wasn't feeling overly enthusiastic about seeing Harris but she wasn't about to leave him standing on the doorstep. Without a word, the blonde turned and walked back to the living room where she was studying for her French final. The end of the school year was fast approaching and she had very little time to prepare for the tests. To make matters worse, any studying reminded the Slayer of how much she missed Willow. Those memories made it even more difficult to contemplate schoolwork. It was a vicious cycle that pretty much ensured a couple failing grades.

Once he entered the home, Xander stood behind one of the comfy chairs and watched Buffy as she curled back onto the couch. Much like the emotional gulf that had developed between the two friends, the chair acted as a physical reminder of the separation between the two teens. Because Xander had spent the last week ignoring Buffy at school and refusing to acknowledge any of her early attempts to address the growing strain, she retained little interest in bridging the gap now. She was hurt and angry and tired. It had been a very lonely week for the Slayer. Having a nervous Watcher and a grieving vampire for her only company didn't make for a happy Buffy.

"Umm, did you hear that Snyder got the boot?" Harris offered in an attempt to break the uncomfortable silence.

Buffy looked up from her book and nodded. Even the Slayer in all her outcast status had heard the joyous news. Everyone in school was buzzing about the disappearance of the swim team, the death of the swim coach and the drugs that Snyder had supposedly authorized for use by the school nurse and the now dead coach. The Mayor had convened a special board meeting just last night to address the alleged drug charge against Snyder. He would not be returning to work and none of the students were sad about it.

"Wonder how bad his replacement will be? With our luck, the next principal will be an actual demon and not just a figurative one," Xander joked awkwardly.

Buffy stared at her notebook for a few seconds before lifting her head.

"Why are you here, Xander?" she asked in a pinched voice that failed to convey even a tenth of her true feelings.

Xander rubbed the back of his neck as he stuttered a rambling apology for ignoring her. He explained that Cordelia felt they needed to distance themselves from Buffy to help avoid being the next obvious targets for Angelus. They were both scared and hurting. Willow's death really hit them hard.

"You already are a target, you git," Spike informed the teen from his position on the bottom step to the upstairs.

Xander jumped and squeaked. He hadn't been aware of the vampire's presence. Because he cut himself off from Buffy, the teen didn't know that Spike had temporarily moved into the townhouse. The bank had taken possession of the house on Revello, and the vampire needed somewhere to hide. He and the Slayer had agreed that keeping his continued existence a secret might be the edge they needed against Angelus. Giles hadn't agreed. The Watcher had preferred that the Slayer dispose of the Slayer of Slayers. In hopes of keeping them safe, he had performed the dis-invite spell only to have Buffy issue another invitation to the townhouse. The Watcher and the Slayer had practically growled at each other over the impasse.

Spike had just stood in the foyer and tried not to smile. He knew who was going to win. The vampire wasn't disappointed. When Buffy simply told Giles that no matter how many times he performed the spell to kick him out, she stressed that it only took her three words to return William's access. Although he had not approved of the decision, the Watcher had to concede that his Slayer was going to get her way.

"Just cause Dru is gone doesn't mean Angelus won't still see you as a means to an end," the vampire cautioned as he moved silently across the room and joined Buffy on the couch. He glanced down at her notes and rolled his eyes. Without a word, he took her notebook and pen then corrected one of her French phrases. Spike raised his eyes to the clearly dumbfounded teen. "Dru might have wanted you as her new knight but Angelus would like nothing more than to turn you and set you on the Slayer. Would destroy something in her to have to dust a close friend."

Spike glanced sideways at Buffy and offered her an almost affectionate smile. Although the affection might have been veiled, the expression held an obvious respect to it.

"Not that she wouldn't dust a vampire you. Slayer would. It would jus hurt her and I think we've had enough hurt around here."

Xander moved around the chair and flopped into it. He stared at the vampire with a mixture of confusion and hatred on his face before turning his gaze to his friend.

"But that's what I don't get. Why haven't you dusted him? He's a vamp and all sitting comfy on your sofa helping with your French homework. What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that I need all the allies I can get," Buffy replied as her eyes narrowed angrily. "It isn't like my friends have been very supportive."

Xander had the grace to cringe. He knew he hadn't been a good friend recently. He wanted to blame it on Cordy's wishes but he knew it was his own fault. He was frightened and furious. It wasn't a good mix for friendship.

"I will take assistance where I can get it," Buffy added. "If mortal enemies can overlook themselves to accomplish a mutual goal, then one would think real friends could be a bit more supportive."

"But Willow..."

Buffy abruptly stood.

"But Willow nothing. You stood there and blamed me for her death. And Ms Calender's. And my mom. MY MOM! For god sake, Xander. I did not kill any of them. Angelus did. Him and Dru. Not me."

Spike noticed the fine tremble in her body and he reached for Buffy's closest hand. With a bit of pressure, he forced her hand out of the fist that she was clenching tightly against her leg. The gentle move was a subtle reminder to keep her anger focused at the right source and not forcing it on her friend. He may have been a nasty jerk the past week but he did not deserve all of Buffy's ire. That belonged on Angelus' doorstep. The tension seeped from the Slayer. She sat back down and took a deep breath. Unconsciously, she rested her hand on Spike's left knee just long enough to give it an appreciative squeeze.

Xander frowned when he noticed the unexpectedly friendly and casual touching between the vampire and Slayer. He opened his mouth to say something but then closed it without muttering a single word. The anger and frustration trickled from his position until only confusion remained. He turned his attention towards Spike.

"Why did you save me?" he asked the vampire.

William didn't answer right away. Instead he corrected another one of Buffy's mistakes on her French homework then offered a little shrug with one shoulder.

"Thought we covered that. Been enough hurtin around here. Didn't need any more," Spike leveled his gaze on Xander who shrunk back into the chair in reaction to the disgust displayed clearly in his eyes.

"I somehow doubted you wanted to spend the next hundred years as Angelus' punchin bag or Drusilla's slave."

"Ah... no... so... um... thanks."

Spike's lip twitched as he fought the urge to smirk at the teen who was clearly out of his element.

"Happy to oblige."

"OH!" Xander exclaimed as he realized something. "You said Dru is gone. You dusted her?"

Spike stilled. It was as if someone had flipped a switch and all the life and animation dropped from his body.

Buffy once more reached out to William. This time, she did more than just lightly touch his leg. She grabbed his hand and interlocked her fingers with his. When she pulled his hand towards her, Spike moved again. His attention followed his hand as Buffy pulled it to her lips. Just a brief little feather-light kiss pressured against the back of his wrist. He shuddered.

"You're not alone," Buffy whispered against his skin. Spike flinched then nodded.

"Think I'll leave you to it," he stated as he tried to pull away from the smaller blonde. Buffy didn't allow him to escape from her grasp. She tightened her hold on his hand and he wasn't able to simply pull free.

"Stay."

It was more of an order than a request but it seemed to be what Spike needed. He sat back down beside Buffy. He took a deep but unneeded breath then seemed to visibly relax. It was obvious even to a fairly clueless Harris that the vampire and the Slayer had found a common ground with their feelings of grief and hatred. He wasn't sure he liked the idea but he could see it for what it was. In all honesty, he feared it would make their current problems even worse.

"Look, Xander, I think you should head home," Buffy explained as she closed her schoolwork and stuffed it into her bag. "It's gonna be dark soon and I don't want you being all easy target like. Spike has a lead on where Angelus might be hiding out so we need to head over as soon as the sun sets."

Her friend readily agreed. He really didn't want to be an easy target either. After promising to see her tomorrow at school, Xander headed towards the door. He glanced back at the Slayer before he closed the door behind him. Buffy and Spike had their heads close together and were whispering quietly to each other. An uncomfortable knot twisted in the teen's stomach as he stepped outside. What he was seeing was more than just two allies planning to take out a mutual enemy. There was more to the dynamics between the Slayer and the Vampire and it didn't sit well with the teen.

"Oh yeah, that's gonna end well," he muttered to himself as he stomped down the steps and hurried towards the relative safety of his home.

* * *

The hollow thump of the door from the garage into the townhouse being slammed into the wall behind it heralded the end of the school day. The thump startled Spike out of his semi-unconscious state he had been hovering in since he got out of bed. He sat up on the couch and reached for the remote. Before he could turn off the lousy daytime program, Buffy came storming into the room. From below, Giles was still calling after her but she readily ignored him. She also ignored the vampire in the room. The Slayer made a bee-line for the weapons chest. She flung it open, dropped to her knees, and began pulling things out. Daggers, stakes, crosses and small axes soon covered the carpet.

"Buffy," Giles huffed as he reached the top of the steps.

When she failed to respond, he called her name again. Buffy slammed a sword against the ground and stood. She whipped around to face her Watcher.

"Look. I have to do this. The immolation-agram was pretty clear. Me. Him. Cemetery. We are going to finish this," the Slayer stated in a wash of emotion. She turned back to the large weapons cache and again started digging.

Spike moved off the couch and approached Giles. Although the Watcher had been barely civil to him since he came to stay in his home, the librarian still seemed a safer bet to approach at the moment. At least he wasn't surrounding himself with deadly weapons and appearing just a short distance from crazed. The vampire barely had to prod the Watcher before he shared the story as to why the Slayer was acting like a mini-rage monster.

Giles explained that Buffy had a visitor of the undead variety towards the end of her French exam. In front of the entire class, a newly turned female vampire had barged into the room and delivered a message to the startled assembly. As the vamp had started to smoke and finally burn in the sunlight from the windows, she had informed Buffy that if she didn't meet Angel at Restfield tonight that more would die. The vampire had then dusted from the flames and Buffy had panicked. She had rushed from the classroom and into the library making demands and refusing to listen to the more level headed librarian.

Ignoring the two males who were standing there and discussing her afternoon, Buffy slammed the lid shut on the chest. She had decided on a miniature crossbow and one of the lighter swords. She set the weapons on the coffee table and moved towards the stairs. She needed to change her clothes and check her own weapon stash. As she pushed past Spike and Giles, hands grabbed her upper arm. She tried to brush off the hold but found herself unable to easily escape. Buffy whirled around and faced off with William.

"Let me go," she ordered through clenched teeth.

In typical fashion, Spike did not do as he was told. If anything, his hold on her arm tightened. The Slayer swung at the vampire with her free hand. He deflected the punch and grabbed her other arm too. In their periphery vision, they could see Giles wisely clamoring away from the two supernatural opponents. Spike shook the stressed teen a couple times until she stopped attempting to escape his hold. Instead of calming though, Buffy shifted and attacked Spike with her knee. The blow landed in his gut and air whooshed from his lungs. He lost his grip on the Slayer who then followed the knee with a right cross to the chin.

Spike growled as he slid a bit to the side so that the force behind the punch didn't land directly on his jaw. The blow still packed some power and Spike felt his jaw crack. In retaliation, his left arm flew out and he clipped Buffy across the face with the back of his hand. It was by far one of the softest blows that Spike ever aimed at the teen but it still split her lip.

Buffy's eyes widened in surprise and her hand flew to her mouth. Even though she had attacked him first, she was utterly dumbfounded that Spike had struck her. The light blow had flipped a switch in the Slayer and she just stood and stared at him.

"Look, Pet, you want to go a round, I'll have a gay old time of it," Spike informed her as he moved slightly into a more defensive stance. "If you want to beat Angelus, you might want to use the mush you call a brain and listen to me."

Buffy's eyes narrowed at the insult to her intelligence but then sighed. The tension eased in her shoulders and she took a step back. The world once more expanded beyond the two fighters.

"Okay, Spike. I'm listening," she offered in a tired voice as she sat on the step and stared up at vampire.

"Well... good," he replied in a tone that seemed to convey that he was surprised that she actually followed his request in such a reasonable fashion. "You can't jump into this with only emotion as your guide. You need to take stock and plan."

From his safer position across the room, Giles snorted. Spike was just repeating the same thing he had expressed to Buffy earlier with no success. It annoyed the Watcher to see that his Slayer was actually listening to the Vampire's words when she has so easily disregarded his own. He didn't like the implications. They made his head hurt and his stomach cramp.

"I have to go. The messenger promised others would die if I didn't," Buffy whined in a petulant little girl voice.

"And that's what Angelus wants you to do," Spike replied. The vampire dropped to one knee so that he was on the same level with the distressed teen. "With Angelus, you're the end game. He doesn't want to end it yet. He hasn't broken you. He wants you alone, hopeless and possibly slightly deranged before he finally attacks you directly."

Spike reached out and grabbed Buffy by the chin. He tilted up her head so she couldn't help but stare directly into the vamp's eyes.

"You are a far cry from broken, Slayer," William assured the teen. "You just gotta remember, whatever he plans tonight, you are not the target. He sent the message to manipulate you into being where he wants you to be, when he wants you there."

"But if I don't go, he'll kill more people."

Spike rolled his eyes and reminded her that Angelus was a vampire. People were always going to die on his fangs anyway. It was more important for her to avoid dancing on the end of his strings. Angelus saw himself as a great puppet master and he expected Buffy to respond directly as he prompted.

"So what do you suggest?" Buffy countered.

Spike stood. He reached for the Slayer's hand and pulled her up. With a minor tug he got her moving towards the living room seating.

"I suggest you circle your wagons," the vampire recommended as he dropped into one of the chairs. The Slayer followed his lead and settled on the edge of the couch. "Get all your little friends someplace safe and then consider making an appearance to face off with Angelus. You deal with him while your combined friends counter whatever his flunkies have planned. I would actually bet that they or your Watcher would be his actual target tonight."

Giles joined the duo and offered his support of Spike's advice.

Buffy considered the idea. She scrunched up her nose a bit as she thought. Her eyes widened and she shifted forward in her seat.

"Could you go to the cemetery but stay far enough away that Angelus doesn't know you're there?"

"Most likely."

"Then you could follow him after we knock about and find out where he is hiding during the day."

Both Giles and Spike smiled. The idea had potential. Although neither the vampire nor the slayer would pass up a legitimate possibility to take Angelus out permanently, they had to account for whatever horror the vampire planned for the evening.

"I can work with that," William agreed. "Won't remain hidden if we have the chance to dust him but I can follow if the opportunity doesn't present itself."

The Slayer nodded appreciatively. She then turned to Giles and asked if he could keep everyone else safe. He promised that he could if everyone agreed to meet at one place.

"Do you know where everyone plans to be tonight?"

"Most likely the Bronze," Buffy stated. "The Dingos are playing this evening."

"Bit public but I think we can work around it," the Watcher considered. "Would need to get Xander and Oz and Cordelia on board."

Rupert glanced at the clock.

"And quickly," he added as he noticed that sunset was less than two hours away.

Buffy stood.

"Guess we have a plan. I'll call Xander and start the circling of our remaining wagons."

The Slayer scrambled up the stairs to contact the others and change her clothes into something appropriately slay-worthy. She wanted to be ready for the confrontation. If Angelus gave her the chance, she wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to dust him.

* * *

About an hour after the sun set, Buffy prowled into Restfield Cemetery. She nervously watched the shadows as her anticipation of the upcoming confrontation grew. As she moved around one of the larger monuments, Angelus moved into view from behind the Alpert mausoleum.

"Hello lover," he greeted in a teasing tone. "I wasn't sure you'd come."

Buffy pulled her stake from her back pocket and narrowed her eyes on Angelus' much too casual approach. He didn't seem the least bit worried about her facing him. His arrogant smirk only served to reinforce what Spike had told her. Angelus didn't plan to kill her tonight. It didn't mean she didn't hope to kill him.

"After your immolate-o-gram, I couldn't exactly spend the night washing my hair."

She took a couple steps closer to her prey.

"Why are we here?" the Slayer demanded as she tried to expand her senses to make sure she wasn't moving into a trap. She couldn't sense any other vampires or demons in the area but she was sure there was at least one other. She might not be able to feel him but Buffy knew Spike was hidden somewhere nearby.

"I was hoping to see how you were holding up," the vampire teased in a voice dripping with false concern. "You've had a rough couple weeks."

As Angelus expected, Buffy flinched and her lip quivered slightly. She appeared to stiffen her resolve and clutched her stake more tightly.

"Can we just skip the yak-ity and move onto the slaying portion of the evening?"

Angelus smiled and informed her that he wasn't here to fight. Buffy raised her eyebrow and tapped her stake against her other hand. In a smooth motion, she flung her stake towards his chest which he easily sidestepped. Buffy then told him that she didn't believe him. The vampire snorted and put his hands in the pockets of his long coat. He moved a couple steps closer to the teen. He stopped just outside of her easy reach.

"I was actually hoping for a bit more foreplay before we get to the main event," the vampire countered with an overdone leer.

The Slayer shuddered then raised her chin defiantly. She did her best to make it seem like she was fighting through intimidation and fluctuating emotions even though nothing about this confrontation had bothered her in the least. If anything, it had strengthened her desire to end the monster wearing her former love's face. Buffy was no where near as desperate as Angelus anticipated. He had killed any remaining affection she harbored for Angel when he murdered her mom and best friend. She wasn't suffering from any sentimental confusion.

"Lets just skip the foreplay. Not like you were any good at it anyway."

Angelus' eyes widened slightly at the nasty comment. He had expected the teen to crumble slightly with just the hint of sexual content. It had worked like a charm last time. He couldn't imagine she had toughened her skin to her adolescent insecurities in just a few weeks. To cover his own momentary unease, Angelus rolled his shoulders and agreed to skip right to the fighting. He followed the comment with a rushing punch which Buffy easily side-stepped.

She redirected the blow and followed with one of her own. The Slayer caught the vampire with the body blow and he stumbled back. Buffy followed the kick with a right upper cut to his chin. Angelus took the punch and grabbed for her incoming left hand. He caught her at the wrist as he shook away the stars that danced in his eyes after the jarring blow to his chin. When Buffy swung her right hand back towards him, he barely succeeded in capturing it between his body and arm. With her arms secured, the Slayer shifted and drove her knee upwards. The vampire barely had time to shift his thigh to avoid having his unmentionables driven into his guts.

"Woah!" Angelus huffed as he released her hands and shifted out of range of the Slayer's legs. A confused frown flitted across his face. "You're actually trying to dust me," he accused in disbelief.

"Duh," Buffy replied as she pulled another stake from her waistband. She took a purposeful step forward as Angelus backpedaled. In the distance, fire sirens sounded. The piercing wail brought a malicious grin to the vamp's face.

"Guess you could make a good stab at it tonight," he admitted. "Too bad this wasn't about you."

Buffy froze her advance as more emergency sirens sounded in the distance. There were a few more sirens and emergency vehicles involved than Buffy had expected. It tightened her stomach with worry.

Angelus broke into a laugh.

"This was never about you," he taunted.

"Oh god," Buffy muttered in horror before she turned and raced towards the ongoing emergency call.

Angelus watched the Slayer sprint away. He chuckled in vain amusement. In his mind, he had accomplished exactly what he needed. He expected there was only one last link to sever before he could end this game. Gleefully contemplating his forthcoming elimination of the Watcher, the vampire never noticed his silent shadow that followed him back to his lair who was watching carefully for a chance of his own to take out the enemy.

* * *

The firefighters were still scrambling around the blazing Bronze when Spike slipped from the alley behind the building. He approached the teens huddled around the back of an ambulance. He didn't see any of the students he needed so he moved further down the street. Since he was having trouble noticing anyone specific in the crush of milling humanity, he closed his eyes and concentrated on scent. The tantalizing tease of a score of bleeding injuries taunted his senses. Spike pushed past the thought of tasty treats. He caught a whiff of wolf and followed it to the corner.

Despite his lack of height, Oz easily recognized Spike's bleached blond head when he moved out of the closest cluster of gawkers. The musician greeted the vampire warily but appeared happy to point Spike in the proper direction to find Buffy. With a nod of thanks, William slipped further down the street and back into another alley. He didn't bother to turn and acknowledge his shadow who ordered his band mates to get home to safety as soon as possible before following the vampire to meet with the other Scoobies.

Halfway down the dimly lit throughway, Buffy knelt beside Xander. She was holding his arm in place while Giles wrapped a make-shift splint on his injured. Cordelia stood beside the trio with a wooden cross clasped tightly in her one hand and a large water balloon in her other one.

Spike only made it a few steps into the alley when Buffy glanced over her shoulder at him.

"Mission accomplished?" she asked as Giles finished his ministrations and they all turned to face Spike. Cordelia squeaked and she dropped her improvised holy water bomb. It splattered on the asphalt. She nervously apologized to the the vampire when he stepped back from the dangerous splash.

Although surprised by the courtesy, Spike waved her skittish accident off. He had more important things to discuss.

"I know where he's hiding," the vampire offered.

"YES!" Buffy exclaimed in excitement as she flung her arms around Spike and gave him an impromptu hug.

Spike stiffened at the embrace but an amused grin had settled on his lips by the time Buffy pulled away.

"So... do we do this tonight or wait until tomorrow?" the Slayer inquired. Although she wanted the fight to be over, she wasn't sure if a late night attack would be the best idea. Her friends were exhausted and in need of some medical attention.

"I won't be much help in a daylight assault," Spike stressed. There was no way the vampire was agreeing to any plan that left him out of the final assault on Angelus.

"I fear we might be a bit worse for wear tonight," Giles expressed as he helped Xander to his feet. His observation called attention to the battered appearance of the humans. Chances were that Xander had broken his arm. Giles was sporting a gash on the side of his head as well as only gently placing weight on his left leg. Oz had a large bruise on his jaw and looked like his nose had been bleeding earlier. Cordelia appeared uninjured but her one heel was gone from her boot and she definitely seemed frazzled.

"I think it might be best if we regroup. Spend the night together and make concrete plans," Giles suggested before adding that a quick trip to the emergency room might be in order too. His opinion became the immediate plan when the older gentleman took one step and collapsed.

With a grunt, the Slayer caught her Watcher. Without being asked, Spike stepped forward and wrapped one of Giles' arms over his shoulder and help Buffy move the unconscious Watcher towards the parking lot and Rupert's waiting car. The other three students fell into step behind the trio. They piled into Cordelia's car. Luckily for Giles and Buffy, Spike drove them to the hospital. It helped ensure that all three made it more or less in one piece.

One cat-scan for a concussion, a cast for a broken arm, some pain killers and a couple stitches later, the weary warriors stumbled into the Watcher's townhouse about an hour before the sun rose. Everyone but Buffy and Spike had fallen into beds and welcomed the sleep. Restless, Buffy puttered around the kitchen fixing a snack for herself. She could hear Spike watching a news program in the living room. The Slayer smiled. The vampire had actually offered his bed to Oz and was making himself comfortable for the rest of the night on the couch. His logic for the offer was that he wasn't going to sleep until sunrise anyway. It was a bit of a stretch of the truth but surprisingly nice of the vampire.

Buffy was about to join him on the couch. She closed the cupboard door and turned. She yelped. Her bowl of cereal hit the floor and shattered in a mess of crumbs and ceramic. From the living room, Spike heard the commotion. He arrived in the kitchen in time to see a badly dressed male shoved against the refrigerator. Buffy had her left hand on his neck and her stake raised for a strike. The vampire shifted into game face. He sniffed the air and determined the intruder was a demon and not human.

"Who the hell are you?" the Slayer demanded.

"Whistler," the guy answered.

"Why are you here?"

The demon glanced nervously at the vampire in the doorway before answering.

"I needed to fix something, doll-face," he explained. "I work for the Powers That Be and well, I feel a bit responsible for starting this crap-fest of a ball rolling."

Buffy loosened her grip slightly and said "I'm listening."

Whistler glanced over Buffy's shoulder once again. He cringed slightly at the attention he was receiving from both deadly fighters. He flexed his shoulders and adjusted his oversized coat.

"I'm really not supposed to be here," Whistler admitted as he glanced upwards. "They don't know I'm here so can we skip the third degree?"

Spike moved forward and stood behind Buffy's left shoulder. He kept his fists and fangs at the ready in case they were needed. He wasn't sure how the demon had entered the house or how much of a threat he posed.

"He's a demon, Slayer," the vampire offered quietly.

Buffy's eyes narrowed dangerously and Whistler threw his empty hands into the air.

"Whoa, babe... I'm not here to cause you any more problems. Think you have enough of those already."

Buffy pushed Whistler back against the refrigerator with a bit more force than previously.

"So talk but I warn you, if I don't like what you have to say I'm gonna pull out your ribcage and wear it as a hat," the Slayer threatened before releasing the demon. She stepped back until she stood beside Spike.

"Hello to the imagery," Whistler complained with a wince. "Look, I made a mistake. I thought I was doing the right thing when I brought you to Angel's attention. There were all these signs and portents that really did point to him being an important part of your life."

Spike snorted "yeah, important part. The killer, stalker part. Just what she needed."

"Did you know about the curse?" Buffy quietly asked as she folded her arms over her chest and tapped her stake on her left bicep. She was clearly stating with her body that she wasn't interested in any funny business or lies.

"We knew he was cursed but we didn't understand the escape clause. Or that you would be making with the smoochies and sending his soul back to Liam's ever-after."

"So your here to, what... say oops... my bad... sorry?"

"Sorta..." the demon admitted as he stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out a chain. From the chain, a small crystal swung. The marble-like pendent glowed with swirling blues and cream. "I want to give ya a present. All apology-like."

Buffy reached towards the swaying necklace.

"Will this help me kill Angelus?" she asked as her fingers brushed against the pendant. It felt warm to the touch instead of cool like a stone or glass. An almost peaceful pleasure radiated from the small gift.

"Nah," Whistler admitted. He glanced at the vampire who was still in game face and standing beside her. "You got all you need to bring the hammer down on good old Angelus."

"Then what's it for?"

Whistler just smiled.

"It's the good kind of gift. I promise. It's something you're gonna want and probably need someday," stated the demon as he shifted his eyes back towards Spike one more time. When the demon saw the vamp's feral eyes narrow suspiciously, he swallowed and switched his attention back to the Slayer. "Um, I really gotta get outta here. If they catch me mucking about there will be Hell to pay. Possibly quite literally."

"But how..."

"You'll just know," interrupted Whistler. He placed the gift securely in Buffy's hand then simply disappeared.

The two blonds just stared at the empty space.

"My, people come and go so quickly here," Spike quoted before he shook away his demonic visage.

"Huh?"

"Never mind, Pet. Bit before your time."

Buffy held up the pendent. She then shrugged, pulled open a drawer, and shoved it in the back.

"Guess I'll worry about it when I have to," she muttered. Since it wasn't something that would aid in the upcoming fight, she really didn't have time for it. She took a step backwards and her foot crunched on the forgotten cereal. The Slayer sighed in annoyance as she reached for the broom and dust pan. This was a mess she would need to address now. It was too bad that she couldn't just shove it out of sight also.

After putting away the broom and bin, Buffy turned back to the counter to prepare a new snack. A bowl of the same cereal that she spilled was sitting on the counter along with a glass of milk and a spoon. She didn't expect it and hadn't noticed Spike moving around in the kitchen during her grumpy clean up. She smiled softly as she grabbed her snack and headed to the living room to thank her strangely considerate vampire.

* * *

"You're sure about this?" Giles asked one last time as he glanced at the blanket covered vampire in the back of the van. The Watcher still wasn't sold on trusting Spike and he worried about the possibility of a double cross in the heat of the battle.

"Yes."

The Slayer sounded so sure in her conviction that the Watcher finally abandoned his challenge. He sat back to wait for Oz and Xander to return from their foray to the roof of the buildings on either side of the now gutted Bronze. The teens were tasked with collecting the hidden crossbows that were left behind the previous night. Cordelia and Giles had been stationed on the two roofs to pick off the vampires blocking the exits for the night club. When Oz, Xander and the fleeing patrons came outside after the fire started, the crossbows had been tossed aside in favor of the huge holy water balloons that were tossed by the two make shift snipers.

They were going to need the weapons for the impending assault on the Whitmore mansion. Spike had only shared the location of the lair once he was sure the white hats were not going to leave him behind for the confrontation. With a location secured, plans were quickly assembled for an afternoon raiding party. They required some adjustments for the sunlight impaired but the entire group felt they stood a chance at victory.

Xander and Oz clamored back into the van. They handed off the recovered weapons and the assault party moved towards their target. They were a somber bunch. Each had very personal reasons for wanting Angelus dust and gone. The end was in sight and they were all staring intently towards the finish.

Outside the back gate, Cordy, Giles and Xander followed Buffy out of the van. With a well placed kick, the Slayer knocked the locked gate off its hinges so they trio could sneak towards the house and position themselves at the back windows. They were supposed to stay safely in the sun and fire the crossbow bolts through soon to be broken windows. Once the way was clear, their job was to find and liberate the human larder that Spike noticed when he followed Angelus to the lair.

It had been the only snag in the plan. The presence of the human snacks forced the good guys to break into two groups instead of attacking as one force. The rescue squad planned to join in the assault if still needed but they were hoping that the battle would be over quickly and their side would come out on top.

Buffy watched her friends and her Watcher moving through the trees towards the house. She cringed when she noticed that Giles still limping. Neither the Watcher nor Xander had offered any complaints regarding their injuries. The blonde teen just hoped they didn't get them killed. Once the rescue party was near the back patio, the Slayer returned to the van. She cleared her mind of the worries for her friends because she needed to focus on her part of the plan.

"You sure you want in on this, Oz?" Buffy asked since she was a bit worried about bringing him along as part of the main attack force.

"You aren't the only one feeling the Willow-pain," the quiet musician replied firmly.

Buffy nodded because she understood the need to do something on behalf of those you love. Vengeance was an amazing motivator. As Oz moved the van, the Slayer reached towards the blanket covered vampire.

"Revenge time?" she prodded as she ran her fingers over the hidden vampire.

"And if you wrong us shall we not revenge?" he muttered in reply.

Recognizing the poetry reference, Oz snorted as he stopped the van in front of the main entrance.

"You aren't what's on the bottle, are you?" the werewolf accused the vampire once the Slayer exited the van to force open the gate.

"Don't you go spreading lies, wolf boy," growled the vamp in reply. "Or I'll rip off your head and use your skull as a goblet."

Oz snorted again but made no further comments as Buffy crawled back into the vehicle.

"All clear. Straight shot to the grass and the stone patio."

"Seat belt," Oz ordered as he tugged on his own to make sure it was tight. "Brace yourselves," he added as he gunned the engine of the van and sent it barreling towards the front of the mansion. They plowed over the grass, barely missed a marble statue and cut towards the front corner of the building. The improvised battering ram slammed into the french doors that accessed the library. The glass and wood crumbled under the force and the van rumbled to a stop halfway into the room. Before the engine even shuddered to its death, the trio were out of the crushed vehicle and rushing into the building.

In the initial rush into the building, they met with little resistance. Two fledges dusted under the deadly swipe of the Slayer's sword . A third soon followed as Spike tackled it and ripped off its head. Buffy and Oz moved into the hallway while Spike hurried towards the other door in the library. It was his job to try to sneak through the house and attack from the back. He was their secret weapon. Since they believed Angelus had not clue that Spike remained a viable threat, he was the best person for stealth maneuvers. If they could have gotten him in with the other Scoobies, it would have been better but the sun forced him into the frontal entrance. Understanding his purpose, the vampire disappeared into the dining room after glancing one last time at the Slayer and the Wolf as they began their frontal assault.

In the foyer, Angelus appeared at the top of the grand stairway to the second story. At his sides, there were two growling demons that looked a bit like a cross between a wolf and a bear. They had long muzzles and fur like a canine but rivaled a black bear in bulk.

Behind the vampire and demons, a thin man stumbled down the partial stairway complaining that he wasn't ready. The disheveled human muttered to himself as he knelt on the ground and pulled a piece of chalk from a large bag he dropped on the second story floor.

"Do you mind, lover? Some of us are trying to sleep," grumbled Angelus before he ordered the two demons to attack.

The nightmare monsters charged down the steps. Buffy barely had time to ready her sword before one of them reached her. It dove towards her with its huge jaws open. The Slayer dropped to one knee and drove her sword up into its underbelly as it sailed over top of her. The beast howled as it landed face first in the foyer. As it skidded on the marble, it smeared purple blood across the floor like a skidding tire track of yuck.

The other demon took Oz to the floor and he screamed as its talons bit into his shoulder. Buffy pivoted and brought her sword down on the neck of the demon. Its head toppled from its shoulders and the monster crumbled onto the chest of the injured teen.

With a grunt, Buffy heaved the dead guard demon off her friend and he scrambled to his feet. His left arm hung uselessly at his side but the young man still held his stake ready for the next attack.

"Hmm, you were supposed to die last night," complained Angelus as he fixed Oz with a annoyed stare then stalked down the stairway. Although the Bronze had burned to the ground, the planned destruction was distinctly missing in casualties. Angelus had been disappointed with the set-back.

Buffy stepped between the two males and leveled her gore covered sword towards her former boyfriend.

"I think this is between us," the Slayer informed the Vamp.

Angelus frowned.

"We seem to be a bit unevenly matched," he pouted as he indicated the sword that pointed unwaveringly at him.

"I'm thinking my mom and the Rosenbergs were a bit out matched with you and Drusilla. Turn about is only fair."

An evil grin grew across Angelus' face as he commented lewdly about the mentioned deaths. He was disappointed when the vivid details brought no visible response from Buffy. Instead of an emotional reaction, the teen attacked. The sword slashed and Angelus barely avoided decapitation by throwing himself to the side. He scrambled out of reach and yelled at the magic user that he needed to get moving. Angel retreated from another sword swipe and repeated his order to the man at the top of the steps. The mage muttered angrily but increased his preparation speed.

From the living room, two vampires entered the fray. One attacked Buffy while the other engaged Oz. It took little effort for the Slayer to remove her opponent. When she turned to assist her companion, the fledgeling dusted on Oz's stake. Together, the teens turned back towards Angelus. Buffy took one step and prepared to strike. Suddenly, she felt a wash of heat pass over her body. Her muscles strained and she found herself unable to move any further. Her heart rate skyrocketed as she saw Oz engage Angelus alone.

Even though he was quick and determined, the teen was no match for the centuries old vampire. Angelus easily blocked the attack. He disarmed Oz and struck him in the chin. The musician flew beyond Buffy's limited vision and she heard him hit the wall. She didn't hear him move again.

Angelus created a ticking sound with his tongue as he moved back towards Buffy.

"Buffy, Buffy, Buffy," he murmured in a tone that dripped with disappointment. He stepped around the unmoving sword and trailed his fingers over her cheek. "If that is the best you can do, you really should be ashamed."

The vampire glanced over her shoulder at the crumpled form of her friend. His hand moved over the en-spelled Slayer's neck and he then trailed a finger along her collarbone. If she could have moved, Buffy would have shuddered in revulsion. As it was, she could do nothing but stand there and take whatever Angelus chose to do to her. His right hand slipped down and covered her left breast. He squeezed it and leaned against her body so he could whisper in her right ear.

"I'm going to enjoy draining you."

He licked the side of her neck before taunting "perhaps we could have another ride or two first though. See if you can improve with time and experience. It only took Willow one night until she was an old hand and quite the energetic piece of pussy."

Angelus rubbed himself against Buffy's stomach. He then reached up and wrapped his hand around her arm holding the sword. He firmly moved the arm and weapon down until the sword brushed the floor. The vamp chuckled.

"How do you like my new friend? Brilliant bit of work this spell. You can't move but you are not frozen. I can position you however I wish."

Angelus pushed at the Slayer's shoulders and tapped her knees until they collapsed.

"I think I like you on your knees," the vampire stated with a leer. He grabbed Buffy's hair and shifted her head until she was looking up at her captor. "You were made for begging on your knees. You were destined to be mine and I want you here. Broken and betrayed. Alone..."

"She ain't alone, you sick sack," Spike announced from the second story as he reached out and snapped the neck of the human sorcerer who was actively casting the spell that was containing the Slayer's movement. The spell crumbled as Angelus whipped around to face the steps.

"You can't be here," he ordered the blond vampire. "We killed you."

Spike grinned and jumped down the stairs in two leaps. He swaggered towards Angelus.

"You were never the better man or the better vampire. Just the better bastard."

Dismay and betrayal washed over Angelus' face.

"You're helping the Slayer?"

"Yup," Spike replied with a joyful grin.

"How can you do this? She killed Dru," Angelus stated in an attempt to turn his grandchilde's loyalty back to his purpose.

"I know," Spike admitted as he stopped prowling just outside of Angelus' reach. "I was there."

Angelus was overwhelmed with confusion. He could not imagine Spike being so accepting of Druilla's death. It had to be a trick of some sort.

"I can't see it," Angelus stated. "How could you?"

"Well, you always were a fool. I mean. Really, you don't get why I would be fine with the death of the vampire who beat me until I almost dusted then left me to burn in the sunrise?" Spike shook his head.

"Foolish. But then you seem to be wallowing in foolish. Really slow this time, Peaches," the younger vampire teased. "How stupid is it to turn your back on an armed and brassed-off Slayer?"

Angelus' eyes widened and he started to circle back towards Buffy. Before he even turned enough to see her move, Buffy's sword slammed through his neck. His face registered disbelief and horror as he crumbled to dust. As the remains of her former love swirled to the ground, Buffy caught Spike's eyes. The same sympathy, sorrow and support he had seen in her eyes through Dru's dust now shown in his eyes. Spike opened his arms and Buffy flew against his chest. She buried her face in his t-shirt as the sobs started.

William wrapped his arms around Buffy and started whispering soothing words into her hair. He promised her that she would recover. He stressed that her wolf was breathing and his heart was steady. He reminded her of how strong she was as Buffy and not just as the Slayer. Spike assured her that she was not alone and broken. He dropped a couple soft kisses into her hair before returning to his litany of positives still remaining in her life.

"Where is the prick?" Xander demanded excitedly as he clamored into the room with his broken and unarmed crossbow in one hand and a cross super-glued onto his cast for his other hand.

"We're standing on him," Spike offered from over Buffy's shoulder. The Slayer didn't raise her head. She just clutched at Spike tighter.

Xander deflated a bit until Cordy stepped up and ran her arm around his middle. She reminded him they had just saved over a dozen poor souls who had been the only remaining part of the vampire lair's larder. After thanking his girlfriend for sometimes saying the perfect thing, Xander headed towards Oz. The couple assisted the dizzy teen to sit up and then stand. They watched as Giles limped into the foyer and approached the embracing couple.

For a moment, Rupert stood behind Buffy and considered who he needed to be right now. He was tempted to slide into the Watcher role and start asking about the fight for his diary. As he watched the teen's shuddering shoulders and heard her soft sobs, Giles made the proper choice even though it made him uncomfortable. He pulled on his pseudo-father hat and reached out to Buffy's shoulder blade.

He gently rested his hand on her back and told her how sorry he was for her pain and how proud he was that she was able to face such a horrible monster and survive.

Buffy pulled back from Spike's chest. She turned towards Giles and allowed him to wrap his arms around her in support. She sighed against his warm coat and relaxed for the first time in months. As the Brit hugged his newly patterned daughter, he missed something that was noticed by the three Scoobies standing across the room. They could plainly see the tight grip that Buffy and Spike continued to share with their hands. It looked like they were grounding each other with the touch.

Cordy leaned against her boyfriend's shoulder and sighed. She barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Well, at least this one has no soul to lose," Oz offered quietly as he clutched his arm against his chest to avoid jarring his injured shoulder.

Xander remained silent. He appreciated not being Drusilla's newest vampire toy and that save was compliments of Spike. The normally outspoken teen decided he would just wait and see. Maybe they would be lucky and this vampire would end up being good for Buffy and the remaining Scoobies. It didn't mean he wasn't going to invest in some cross covered pajamas but he was willing to give it a go. It was a better stance than anyone else would expected from him.

* * *

Giles watched Buffy flutter around the kitchen as she prepared two mugs of hot chocolate. He shook his head briefly since he knew who would be drinking the second mug. Straightening his spine, the Brit broke the silence.

"I expect our house guest to be gone tomorrow evening," he started a bit uncomfortably but with a tone that clearly stated that he meant business. "I plan to complete a disinvite soon after dark. I wish to state clearly that I will be quite disappointed if I find that the threshold has not been maintained."

The Slayer met her Watcher's eyes. She nodded. Even if she didn't necessarily agree, Buffy wasn't ready to force the issue. It wasn't like she couldn't issue the invitation some time in the future if needed. It was easier to agree and face that particular battle another day. One where she wasn't still recovering from the most recent one.

"Good. Good. Then I will leave you to your cocoa," Rupert encouraged before he fled the main floor for the solitude of his bedroom.

The Slayer followed him from the kitchen but headed for the living room couch instead of the steps. She handed off the second mug of hot chocolate before folding herself into the corner of the sofa.

"You heard?" she asked as the teen blew over the top of her melting marshmallows.

Spike nodded over his own cup.

"Wouldn't expect anything different, pet. Watcher's just doing his job. Gotta keep the riff raff away from the precious Slayer."

The pair silently sipped their drinks and stared at the blank screen of the television. Although the quiet was comfortable, Spike still felt the need to fill the silence.

"How you holding up, Slayer?"

Buffy grimaced.

"Hurts. In the not sure I am ever gonna be able to breath right ever again kinda way."

Spike nodded in perfect understanding. He found himself sharing a similar sensation and he didn't even need to breath. The pain just sat like an unmovable weight on his chest.

"It's more than a person can endure," Buffy sniffed as she set her empty mug on the coffee table.

"And yet, you do," William encouraged. He set aside his own mug and offered an encouraging smile. "You endure. Fight. Face another day and another battle."

"It's not fair."

"Nothing ever is."

"You suck at offering comfort."

"Evil, luv. Remember?"

Buffy sighed and shifted so that she could lay her head against Spike's shoulder. She didn't know how to respond to his claim. Evil he may have been but she couldn't see him as such any longer. He was just Spike and Spike seemed to understand her like no one else ever could. He was Spike and Buffy needed him to be what and who he was so that she could be what and who she was meant to be. It wasn't fair but it was what they had.

* * *

 **author notes:**

the end.

Happily finished with this not so happy story (although at least there is hope at the end and the possibility of Oz not being spot on with the soul comment when looking towards the future).

Thank you so much for reading. I hope that everyone enjoyed the trip.

This story was originally written for the anniversary celebration on Elysian Fields. It utilized a banner and challenge from Pfeifferpack. I wish to express my appreciation to Pfeifferpack for her interesting challenge and her well crafted banner (you will need to go to Elysian Fields if you wish to see the banner, my skills do not include being able to link to it, sorry). The challenge was outlined as follows:

Season/Episode: Season 2

Must have:

1\. Angelus kills Joyce and Willow as well as Jenny.  
2\. Dru throws Spike out for her daddy, Spike has had enough.  
3\. Buffy and Spike working together to bring down Angelus.

Can have:

1\. Spike physically harmed by Dru and Angelus.  
2\. Spuffy romance builds slowly through story.  
3\. Giles and Xander not trusting Spike.

Can't have:

1\. Angelus turning either Joyce or Willow, death must be permanent.  
2\. Angelus getting his soul back leading to being forgiven.  
3\. Acathla or the Judge.


End file.
